Liu Sanjie of Zhuang Ethnic Group

Liu Sanjie is a legendary figure in Zhuang’s folk stories. The earliest story about her can be found in Volume 98 San Mei Shan of Yu Di Ji Sheng by Wang Xiangzhi in the Southern Song Dynasty. Many legends and folk songs about her have came into being since the Ming and Qing dynasties. More can be found in Zhuang people’s oral folk tales and ballads.

In one version, Liu Sanjie is said to be a Zhuang peasant’s daughter living in the Dang Dynasty. She showed herself a genius in childhood and was viewed as a fairy. She was familiar with the canons at the age of twelve and good at improvising songs. Her songs are melodious and touching, therefore she was called Song Fairy. At the age of fifteen, she was engaged with Lin. In 722, she objected to marrying her fiance Lin and eloped with her lover Zhang Wei. No one knew her whereabouts after that. She is said to become celestial being together with Zhang Wei. According to the folk tale popular in Yishan Zhuang Nationality in Guangxi, Liu Sanjie was born in 703. She was extraordinary bright and sang well when she was a small kid. She improvised nice songs at the age of twelve, and became well-known in Zhuang communities. Later she lectured songs 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 rascals and brought her early death in Liu Zhou. 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 fellow riding a while crane in West Mountain in Gui Xian. It was also said the evil landowner Mo Huairen intended to make Liu Sanjie his concubine yet met her strong objection. Mo bribed the officials to persecute her. In the end, Liu Sanjie left off on a boat.

In spite of different versions of tales on Liu Sanjie, Zhuang people retain their admiration for her in hundreds of years. At present, her statues or temples can be found in many places in Guangxi. Up to now, after a new Zhuang song collection is published, it would be presented in front of her statue. In the songfests in some places, the first ritual is to hold a parade carrying her statue. Zhuang people worship her respectably as Song Fairy. So far, there is a saying— the prosperity of songs in Guangxi attributes to Liu Sanjie.