Legendary Zhuang singer celebrated in hometown

Liu Sanjie, a legendary singer in Zhuang ethnic group folk stories, was celebrated in her hometown of Liuhe in Yizhou district on Dec 30, where locals sang songs, held traditional wedding ceremonies and paid their respects.

The event forms part of the Zhuang Spring Festival which falls earlier on the lunar calendar than the one commonly celebrated by Han people but features some similar activities such as feasting on long banquet tables and family reunions.

A traditional Zhuang wedding ceremony is held in Liuhe village, the hometown of Liu Sanjie on Dec 30, 2017. [Photo by Wen Yichun/Hechi Daily]

For the festival, each household slaughters a pig and a sheep to be eaten at the feasts and also as a way of paying respects to long passed ancestors.

Famed for her beautiful looks and singing voice, Liu Sanjie (which means the third sister of the Liu family) features heavily in Zhuang folk stories. The earliest story about her can be found in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) with many more legends and folk songs written about her in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.