Liu Sanjie is a story that originates from the Zhuang minority people; the largest of the minority groups in China. It’s based on the legend of a woman called Liu Sanjie (literally meaning “third sister of Liu family”). Across generations, the story has become an oral tradition amongst these people and similar characters have even been found to exist in other minority cultures. According to legend, Liu Sanjie had the gift of a beautiful singing voice from a very early age. So beautiful was her voice, she could quell anger and raise the spirits of the people around her. The story became famous around China when the movie Liu Sanjie was released in 1960 – a rare musical production in Chinese cinema.
An army officer has a chance encounter with a young soldier, the son of an old comrade in arms. The soldier tells the officer he has a sister who is also in the army. When the young soldier is killed in action, the officer visits her to pay his respects, and recognizes her as his own child, given up for adoption 18 years earlier. This presents him with a dilemma, wanting to reconnect with the only child he ever had, yet reluctant to tell her the truth about her parentage ...
This war film tells the story of a martyr who gave his life in order to save his comrades. It pays tribute to Dong at the same time as it glorifies the communist revolution and provides a model hero for the audience to emulate.
