Story of legendary folk singer 'Liu Sanjie' now an opera

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The iconic story of Liu Sanjie is both a love story and a tale about how villagers rose up against oppressive landlords. Her story is a legend among the Zhuang ethnic minority, and has become well known across China thanks to a movie by the same name in the 1960s.

Though it's been adapted many times, it's being performed as an opera for the first time at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing.

Performance of folk opera 'Liu Sanjie.' /Photo by China National Opera & Dance Drama Theater

Legend has it that Liu possessed a sweet, heavenly voice. She was so good at creating folk songs that she could compose one on the spot, after being inspired by beautiful scenery.

The folk songs first appeared on film almost 60 years ago, and remains familiar to audiences of many generations. Even if younger audiences had no idea of the plot, the music would ring a bell.

Performance of Folk Opera 'Liu Sanjie.' /Photo by China National Opera & Dance Drama Theater

Audiences will be given the chance to see more than 20 different stage sets in the two-hour opera. Set in Guilin, a famous city known for its lakes, translating the watery landscape was a challenge for set designers.

"From the very beginning, we've been thinking about how to turn the stage [into] a watery area,” said Tao Lei, the stage designer. “The water needs to be filled quickly and we must make sure there's no leakages, as the stage installations will be moving on the water surface. It's not a common design on stage."

Performance of Folk Opera 'Liu Sanjie.' /Photo by China National Opera & Dance Drama Theater

After Beijing, the opera will tour around the country to mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Zhao Haifeng, producer of the opera said, "Liu Sanjie is a cultural icon of Chinese folk music. Adapting the beautiful story into opera could allow more and more people to know about Guilin and the classic folk songs."