The White Snake Legend and the Legend of the White Snake

Record summary

This Chinese legend concerns a white snake spirit, usually Bai Suzhen, who assumes human form, falls in love with Xu Xian, and is opposed by the Buddhist monk Fahai. Its versions appear in vernacular storytelling, drama, fiction, and later film and television. The tradition is useful for comparing animal transformation, religious boundary-making, gender, and local landscape. Details vary substantially by period and medium, and the familiar romantic narrative is not a single ancient account. Researchers should distinguish folktale motifs from Ming and Qing literary elaboration and modern adaptation.