提起歌仙刘三姐，广西壮族的乡亲们，没人不知，无人不晓，她生于唐朝（公元618——公元907）中宗年代，真名叫刘三妹，是广西（中国南部）壮族人，活跃在广西柳江流域，是个优秀的民歌手。她有着出口成歌的本领。
三妹不但歌唱的好，人长的也非常漂亮，天生丽质又聪明，什么活都不用学，一看就会。在三妹17岁这年在对歌的时候，她认识了一位青年，这位英俊的小伙子，也是一个唱歌能手，在对歌当中，两人情投意合，互相爱慕，于是就私定了终身。可是好景不长，村里的一个恶霸，对三妹垂涎多时，见三妹与小伙子情投意合，大发雷霆，决意把三妹抢到手。一天晚上，月光皎洁。三妹正和小伙子坐在柳河边的岩石上看月亮，倾诉衷肠。忽然火把晃动，人声鼎沸，原来是恶霸抢人来了，三妹和小伙子望望无路可走的山，又望望柳河。两人决定要生在一起，死在一道，不求今生，只求来世，于是手拉着手双双跳进柳河那滚滚的波涛里。
人们怀念这个民间的音乐家，民间歌手，因而每年三月三这天会到柳河边上赛歌，悼念“刘三姐”。

Liu San Jie (Third Sister Liu)

Liu San Jie (Third Sister Liu) and her stories are very popular among the Zhuang people in southwest Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
According to the local tale, Liu San Jie was born in a village along the Liujiang River of Guangxi in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). She was not only beautiful but also good at singing folk songs. At the age of 17, Liu San Jie fell in love with a handsome young man who was also a good folk singer. The two swore never separate in their lives.
The peaceful happiness was, however, broken by a hooligan in the village who had been for a long time attracted by Liu's beauty. This evil man decided to take Liu San Jie by force. He got his chance on a moonlight night when Liu and her lover were sitting on a big rock at riverside to enjoy the beauty of the moon. Suddenly, a gang of hooligans surrounded them. Liu San Jie and her lover had no way to escape, with no hesitation, the couple jumped into the roaring Liujiang River, hand in hand.
Nowadays, on the day of March 3, local people will gather along the riverside of the Liujiang River, organizing a folk-song competition to mourn Liu San Jie.