Bike Ride to Moonhill 月亮山

Map of Yangshuo town

Liu Sanjie 印象刘三姐 (Third Sister Liu) Spectacular

The performance, Liu Sanjie (印象刘三姐) (Third Sister Liu) recounts stories from the life of the legendary Zhuang (壮族) minority folk singer Liu Sanjie (刘三姐) in a ninety minute performance at night on the river at the confluence of the Li (漓江) and Tianjie Rivers (田家河) in the natural landscape of Yangshuo (阳朔). The show is jointly directed by the internationally acclaimed filmmaker Zhang Yimou (張藝謀), choreographer of the opening ceremonies at the Beijing Olympics, Wang Chaoge (王潮歌) and Fan Yue (樊躍) working with artist groups from minority ethnic groups around Guilin (桂林) and employing a cast of some 600 performers including local fishermen and young singers on bamboo boats.

The stage for the performance is composed of a two-kilometer-long water area with twelve mountains as the backdrop - probably the largest natural theater in the world. A 2,500-seat amphitheatre overlooking the river and surrounded by mountains, provides a spectacular natural setting for the performance. The mountains - some of which are more than 2 km away - are lit up by powerful spotlights during parts of the show. The show has been performed nearly every day since August 2003. The show juxtaposes the beauty of Li River (漓江) with the cultures of ethnic peoples of Guangxi to present the theme of the harmonious interaction between humans and nature. The story combines themes from classical folk songs with Liu folk cultures.

Liu Sanjie (The Third Sister of the LIu Family) was an outstanding folk song singer of the Zhuang nationality (壮族) during the Tang Dynasty (唐朝) born to the poor Liu (刘) family in Guangxi (廣西). She was highly respected for her praise of life and the promotion of justice through beautiful songs. Her story was told in the popular 1961 film Liu Sanjie (刘三姐). The Zhuang people believe Liu Sanjie was an incarnation of a lark. According to legend, she began speaking poetically when she was only one and at the age of three she was singing. A local tyrant named Mo Huairen wanted to have her as his concubine. She challenged the landlord that if he could sing better than her, she would marry him. The landlord called upon scholars to support him, without realizing that San Jie and her supporters had the magic skills of expressing any idea by singing, the landlord was badly defeated. Rejected, the angry Mo plotted to murder her. With the help of her boyfriend and fellow villagers, she managed to escape. The two lovers traveled as they sang, and eventually found their ultimate freedom by turning themselves into a pair of larks. The show depicts the changes of the four seasons and takes place accordingly in four parts titled: Red Folk Songs, Blue Sentiments, Silver Grand Ceremony and Golden Lights on a Fishing Boat.