The 1960 film Liu Sanjie was very much a product of its times. Despite its roots in ancient Zhuang folklore, the tale was re-imagined as an exemplar of class struggle.

In the film, the eponymous hero, drawn from the peasantry and lacking in education, is harassed by a corrupt landlord. At a pivotal singing competition, the purity of her voice is pitted against the pedantry of scholars, the spokespeople of a malign capitalist model.

Fast-forward to modern-day Yangshuo, Guangxi, and Zhang Yimou's interpretation of the story is almost unrecognizable.