Impression Sanjie Liu: A Real - Scene Performance on the Landscape
### I. *Impression·Liu Sanjie*
The large-scale real-scenery performance on natural landscape *Impression·Liu Sanjie* is directed by renowned directors Zhang Yimou, Wang Chaoge, and Fan Yue, and is masterminded by national - level playwright Mei Shuaiyuan. It integrates the beautiful scenery of the Li River, the cultures of ethnic minorities in Guangxi, and the creations of top - notch Chinese artists. It is the first large - scale real - scenery performance with a brand - new concept in China, pioneering the way for large - scale real - scenery performances in the country and serving as a successful model for the domestic cultural industry.
*Impression·Liu Sanjie* is directed by Zhang Yimou, Wang Chaoge, and Fan Yue, and masterminded by Mei Shuaiyuan. The four key creative personnel collaborated to complete it. It is based on the legend of Liu Sanjie, the singing fairy of Guangxi, but not limited to her story alone. It uses the composition and techniques of Chinese traditional Chinese paintings and integrates real mountains and waters. Combining the unique rhythms and tones of ethnic minority songs, it fuses and presents the natural scenery along the Li River, the daily work and life of fishermen and villagers, and the folk customs of ethnic minorities through visual effects and artistic arrangements.
The whole performance has no continuous story line and no accurate translation of the lyrics. Instead, with Liu Sanjie as the starting point, through freehand brushwork - style pictures and well - known mountain songs, it representatively showcases the customs of ethnic minorities such as the Zhuang, Yao, Miao, and Dong in Guangxi, as well as the diverse aspects of life around the Li River.
Since its public performance in March 2004, *Impression·Liu Sanjie* has had more than 8,000 shows in total and has become a benchmark for real - scenery performances in China.
### II. Introduction to the Chapters of *Impression·Liu Sanjie*
#### Prologue: Legends of Mountains and Waters
This is the origin part of the performance.
Classic scene: The mountain - water stage lights up, and Liu Sanjie comes on a bamboo raft. "Singing mountain songs, singing here and there..." The mountain songs rise along the water, passing through the mountains, and the night sky writes the dream of the legend. Liu Sanjie, the singing fairy, comes on a boat and sings loudly, born from the mountains and waters.
#### Chapter One: Red Impression / Mountain Songs
This is the charm part of the performance.
Classic scenes: Singing duels and red silk ribbons. Young men and women of ethnic minorities wave torches and sing mountain songs across the river, expressing their respect for the mountains and rivers and the affection between young people, representing the traditional culture of singing duels among local ethnic minorities. Fishermen in straw capes and hats wave bamboo poles and row freely on the Li River. The waving red silk ribbons symbolize the dense and heavy fishing nets. Combined with the diverse formations of bamboo rafts, it fully shows the daily hard work of Li River fishermen, conveying the impression of the harmonious coexistence between local human life and natural scenery.
#### Chapter Two: Green Impression / Homeland
This is the life part of the performance.
Classic scene: Grand Song of the Dong ethnic group (performed live by Dong girls). With the setting sun and cooking smoke, cowherd boys skip and lead the cattle herds. Cormorants sit obediently on bamboo rafts and fish with fishermen. Village women wash clothes by the river, and teenagers play and laugh at the village entrance... These scenes outline the daily life of the people along the Li River. Scenes of the countryside reflect Liu Sanjie's living situation, making people feel the beauty and tranquility of the hometown of mountain songs.
#### Chapter Three: Golden Impression / Fishing Lights
This is the night - time part of the performance.
Classic scene: Fishing lights on the Li River. The long - burning oil lamps on the fishermen's bamboo rafts are like twinkling stars in the sky, known as the fishing lights on the Li River. With the warm light in the night, it records the hard work and harvest of fishermen, presenting the natural inheritance of the simple way of labor.
#### Chapter Four: Blue Impression / Love Songs
This is the love part of the performance.
Classic scenes: Dance of the crescent fairies, bathing, and wedding ceremony. The fairies guarding the mountains and waters dance on the crescent moon, lighting up the Li River at night and gently blessing every household. Girls bathe and change clothes by the river, seeing off their sisters who are about to get married. They slowly dress the bride in wedding clothes and bid farewell reluctantly. The bride dresses up neatly, waves goodbye to her family, steps onto the groom's boat, bows three times to the mountains and waters and relatives, and bids farewell affectionately.
#### Chapter Five: Silver Impression / Grand Ceremony
This is the magnificent part of the performance.
Classic scene: Silver ornaments. In the darkness, ethnic minority girls wearing special silver - lamp costumes (Miao ethnic group's grand costumes) hold hands and slowly step onto the Li River. They shine with the brilliant colors of the festival. Whether in a group, in turns, in small groups, or alone, through the change of formations and the combination of bright and dim lights, they form a picture with the mountains and waters and dance with the heaven and earth, abstractly showing the magnificent and colorful cultural customs and festival atmosphere of the local area.
#### Epilogue: Ode to Heaven and Earth
This is the curtain - call part of the performance.
Classic scene: All the performers take their curtain calls (the fisherman performers are from five surrounding natural villages, namely Maozicun, Xingpingcun, Tianjiahe Village, Mushancun, and Mushanzha Village). The fishing lights fade away, the lights go out, but Liu Sanjie's mountain songs still echo between heaven and earth. *Impression·Liu Sanjie* expresses gratitude to the mountains and waters and to guests from all over the world!
### III. Highlights of *Impression·Liu Sanjie*
#### 1. Unique Natural and Geographical Features
The reason why *Impression·Liu Sanjie* is so shocking is the support and influence of the landscape in Yangshuo, Guilin. With a two - square - kilometer Li River water area and twelve background mountains led by Shutong Mountain, it is a world - famous real - scenery theater on natural landscape, far different from traditional stage settings.
#### 2. Representative Ethnic Themes
*Impression·Liu Sanjie* representatively showcases the customs and diverse aspects of life of ethnic minorities such as the Zhuang, Yao, Miao, and Dong. In the performance, there are traditional on - site singing duels of Guangxi ethnic minorities, local - characteristic fishing and farming, weddings, festival ceremonies, and details of the original - ecological daily life.
#### 3. Widely - Spread Liu Sanjie Culture
In 1961, the movie *Liu Sanjie* visualized and dramatized the story of Liu Sanjie, the singing fairy, becoming a classic symbol and a memory of the years in people's hearts. *Impression·Liu Sanjie* refers to and sorts out various materials, striving to absorb widely. It integrates and presents the cultural essence represented by Liu Sanjie through artistic means and poetic arrangements, making Liu Sanjie a cultural business card of Guangxi.
#### 4. High - end Star - Studded Artistic Creation Team
*Impression·Liu Sanjie* is the world's first large - scale real - scenery performance on natural landscape with a new concept. It is directed by renowned directors Zhang Yimou, Wang Chaoge, and Fan Yue, and masterminded by national - level playwright Mei Shuaiyuan. The performance plan was revised 109 times over 5 years and 5 months. 67 well - known Chinese and foreign artists participated in the creation. The performance lasts 70 minutes and involves more than 600 performers.
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