Liu Sanjie Folk Songs

The Liu Sanjie song tradition originated among the Zhuang communities of Guangxi, centered on the legendary 'song fairy' Liu Sanjie; through antiphonal singing it expresses the Zhuang people's emotions, labor wisdom and views on love, passed down for generations across northern Guangxi.

Sung in the Zhuang language in many forms—from improvised antiphonal hillside duets to extended narrative ballads—the songs are performed especially at song-fair festivals (gexu), covering themes of labor, courtship, marriage and ritual; skilled improvisers are held in the highest esteem.

Inscribed in 2006 on the first national ICH list, the songs are the supreme expression of Zhuang folk literature and music; they shaped the beloved 1961 film 'Liu Sanjie' and underlie the deep folk-song culture of Guangxi.

The songs are still widely sung in Zhuang villages around Yizhou, Guilin and Liuzhou; Zhang Yimou's 'Impression Liu Sanjie' outdoor spectacular on the Lijiang River brings them to mass audiences against a living landscape.