Liu Sanjie is a legendary figure, known as a folk singer from ancient times. She was renowned for her intelligence, quick wit, and her ability to create songs as effortlessly as flowing water. Her beautiful and captivating voice earned her the title of “Goddess of Songs.”
According to the legend, Liu Sanjie was born during the reign of Emperor Zhongzong in the Tang Dynasty and was active in the Li River region of Guangxi Province. She possessed an extraordinary talent for singing, able to express her thoughts and emotions in song as soon as she opened her mouth.
Liu Sanjie was not only a talented singer but also a stunning beauty and extremely intelligent. At the age of 17, during a singing competition, she met a young man. This handsome youth was also a skilled singer, and during their exchange of songs, the two developed a deep mutual admiration and affection for each other. They eventually pledged their love and decided to spend their lives together.
However, their happiness was short-lived. A local tyrant, who had long been infatuated with Liu Sanjie, became furious when he saw her affection for the young man. Determined to claim her for himself, he made plans to forcefully take her away. One evening, under the bright moonlight, Liu Sanjie and her lover were sitting by the rocks along the Li River, gazing at the moon and sharing their heartfelt feelings. Suddenly, the flicker of torches and the noise of approaching men broke the peace. The tyrant and his men had come to take her.
Trapped between the mountains and the rushing waters of the Li River, Liu Sanjie and her lover realized they had no escape. Rather than being torn apart, they chose to remain together in life and in death. Hand in hand, they leaped into the turbulent waves of the Li River, seeking unity in the next life rather than separation in this one.
To this day, people remember and honor this extraordinary folk musician. Every year on the third day of the third lunar month, locals gather by the Li River to hold singing competitions in her memory. In 2006, the “Folk Songs of Liu Sanjie,” as recorded in Yizhou District of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, was recognized as part of the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage in China.