Partners in life and in dance, brought together by chance, and stayed together out of mutual passion. In the last installment of Hainan Stories, Cai Pa explored the storied career of the celebrated Chinese dance artist, Chen Qiao. In this episode, she takes a look at the life of Liu Xuanliang, the man who stood by her side through thick and thin, making numerous contributions to the world of Chinese folk dance along the way.

Back in the 1950s, Liu Xuanliang was transferred from Shantou Performing Arts Troupe to the Hainan Performing Art Troupe, where he was posted to the Wuzhi Mountain area. In 1957, he and Chen Qiao co-created “Sanyuesan”, a dance that went on to win critical acclaim and become a classic of Li folk dance repertoire. This dance, which depicts young Li men and women courting, also brought Chen Qiao and Liu Xuanliang together in matrimony.

During his 30 years in Hainan, Liu Xuanliang contributed his talents to the choreographing of a number of dance works, greatly enriching Hainan’s dance culture. His dance, “The Camping Army From Across the Mountains”, was the first ever to bring the traditional Li Bamboo Dance to the stage. Following repeated performances around China, knowledge of this traditional dance spread, and it is now often seen being performed (and taught to tourists) in various places and on various occasions throughout Hainan and China.

Although Chen Qiao and Liu Xuanliang returned to their ancestral Guangdong many years ago, this husband-and-wife dancing duo now in their winter years－still have a strong yearning for Hainan, the place where both their careers and their love flourished. “Sanyuesan”, the courting dance they co-created and which brought them together as a couple, helped popularize Hainan’s traditional “Sanyuesan” Festival, and set off a global fascination with Hainan’s uniquely charming folk customs and traditions.