CLASSIC REPRESENTED: Violinist Yu Lina plays Butterfly Lovers at the commemorative concert for 50 years of the the concerto at the Great Hall of People in Beijing on May 26

The legend of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, known as China's Romeo and Juliet, has moved generations of Chinese. The doleful and romantic story of Liang and Zhu has been adapted into folk operas, music, dance, movies and even TV series. The most influential among them is the violin concerto Butterfly Lovers, respected as one of the masterpieces of Chinese music.

He Zhanhao (HU GUANHUA)

Many people in China, young or old, can hum the beautiful melody of Butterfly Lovers, which shows the popularity of the work. But few really know who wrote the touching music and when it was created.

Chen Gang (YUE PINGBI)

The work was written by two students from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music half a century ago, based on the tragic romance between Liang and Zhu, a tale set in the Eastern Jin Dynasty of China, some 2,000 years ago. Born into a rich family, Zhu was a beautiful and intelligent girl who disguised herself as a boy to study in a school. There she met Liang, a talented and handsome young man. Zhu found herself falling in love with Liang after three years of studying and being together with him in school. However, one day, Zhu was asked to go home, as her family had arranged a marriage between her and the son of another rich family. When Liang finally found out that Zhu was a girl and was about to marry another man, he fell ill and died of a broken heart. Hearing the news of Liang's death, Zhu committed suicide at his grave on the way to her wedding. The spirits of the couple then turned into a pair of butterflies.