More than 112,000 people signed a petition demanding an Asian actor be cast in the lead role.
Liu Yifei, who also uses the name Crystal Liu, was picked to star in the film after a worldwide search that screened nearly 1,000 candidates.
The 30-year-old actor has appeared in more than a dozen films in China and began her career in television.
A Chinese actor will play the title role in a live-action remake of Disney’s Mulan, a move seen as a victory for Asian actors in Hollywood after repeated controversies over “whitewashing”.