The 7th Liu Sanjie Cultural Tourism Festival opens in Yizhou on April 8. [Photo by Yang Zhixiong / gx.chinanews.com]

Guangxi Opera performance at the launch ceremony for the 7th Liu Sanjie Cultural Tourism Festival in Yizhou, Hechi, on April 8. [Photo / xinhuanet]

The opening ceremony for the 7th Liu Sanjie Cultural Tourism Festival was held in Yizhou, a county-level city in Hechi, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on April 8, celebrating the life of the city's most well-known folk singer.

Born during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618 – 907), Liu Sanjie was considered not only beautiful but also a very skilled singer of traditional folk songs. The story of her life has fascinated and inspired the people of Yizhou so much that a folk singing and cultural tourism festival has been named in her honor.

As the story goes, at the age of 17 Liu fell in love with a local boy who was also a talented singer, with the two swearing true love and that they would never separate. However, as the two lovebirds sat upon a moonlit rock on the bank of the Liujiang River one evening, they were set upon by a jealous rival and a group of local thugs. With no way of escape, the couple jumped hand-in-hand into the roaring river, never to be seen again.

Girls of Zhuang ethnic group sing at the opening ceremony for the 7th Liu Sanjie Cultural Tourism Festival in Yizhou on April 8. [Photo / gx.chinanews.com]