Story of Liu Sanjie and March 3rd

Posters of the flim Liu Sanjie

In one version, Liu Sanjie is said to be a peasant girl born in Zhuang in 703. She was a prodigy and was good at improvising songs. Her songs were melodious and touching, therefore she was called the Song Fairy. Later she taught singing in the neighboring areas. Numerous people came to compete with her in singing, but within five days at most, they were defeated and left in shame. However, her talent aroused envy from the local toughs and this brought her an early death. . It was also said the evil landowner Mo Huairen intended to make Liu Sanjie his concubine and bribed officials to persecute her when she refused.

She was said to go to heaven riding a carp. In another version she turned into a stone after seven days and nights' antiphonal singing with a young man riding a white crane in the West Mountain in Gui Xian.

In spite of different versions of the tales of Liu Sanjie, Zhuang people have retained their admiration for her for hundreds of years. At present, her statues or temples can be found in many places in Guangxi. In the song festivals in some places, the first ritual is to hold a parade carrying her statue.

March 3rd is the biggest song festival date in the Zhuang region, also named the Song Fairy Festival, a folk festival in memory of Liu Sanjie.

Nowadays, on March 3rd every year, Nanning City, capital of Guangxi province and other places will hold magnificent song festivals. During the festival, besides the traditional activities, there are various forms of entertainment, such as seizing fireworks, throwing embroidered balls, making colored eggs, Zhuang operas, colorful dragon dances, poem contests, films, martial arts performances, and acrobatic shows. In addition, various commercial activities have gradually begun to appear, such as business trade talks and investment negotiations.

Today her name is a household word throughout China thanks to a successful film about her made in the 1950's.