Legend of the White Snake (白蛇傳)

The Legend of the White Snake Maiden is one of China' four great folktales, the other three being The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, Lady of the Great Wall, and Butterfly Lovers. The story was put into print form in the Ming Dynasty in 1624 by a guy named Feng Menglong, but probably existed long before that. That's just how old stories go. The story has many renditions, and there was even a movie with Jet Li which I think more Americans are actually familiar with.

Jet Li doesn't give in to temptation.

The core of the story is a human scholar, Xu Xian, and a snake spirit, Bai Suzhen, fall in love. Their love is forbidden by the laws of nature, and a Buddhist monk named Fa Hai uses his power to separate them. Fa Hai eventually succeeds in trapping Bai Suzhen in Leifeng Pagoda, separating her from her husband and child. Eventually, Bai Suzhen's friend and spiritual confidante, Xiao Qing the Green Snake Maiden, heads to the arctic to train. She eventually becomes more powerful than Fa Hai, defeats him, and frees Bai Suzhen from captivity.

This version came out in 2006.

What's interesting is that this story has been retold with different interpretations and aims. The most popular version is the love story version. Bai Suzhen and Xu Xian fall in love and their love for each other is pure and sincere. Fa Hai is portrayed as inflexible and driven by a desire to force his interpretation of Buddhism on the two lovers. There was a live action version of Legend of the White Snake that took this angle. Fa Hai was deeply in love with Bai Suzhen, and caused deep seated conflict between Fa Hai's devotion to ridding the world of "evil" spirit beings and his love of the White Snake Maiden. The 2006 live action show uses this angle. Fa Hai is played buy Liu Xiaofeng who I think gave an excellent performance.

 

When stories are this old we get so many interpretations and remakes of the same characters you would be forgiven for forgetting the original tale. Some versions of Legend of the White Snake portray the White and Green Snake Maidens as temptresses and seducers, and that Fa Hai must overcome them. In other versions, Bai Suzhen and Xu Xian's love is a distraction from the main focus of their lives. Bai Suzhen is training to achieve enlightenment and become an immortal in heaven, and Xu Xian is a scholar who should focus his energies on medicine and improving himself. Their love is a distraction from their duty. Fa Hai represents the order of the state, setting the two away from that which distracts them. In other versions, the emphasis is on how good intentions can lead down dark paths.

Stories are malleable. They reflect the standards and needs of the time they are told. The fact that this story has endured for more than 400 years speaks to the fact that the themes and ideas at the core of the story appeal to people across generations. I felt it was the perfect backdrop for the first story arc of Journey to the Middle Kingdom, and I hope you enjoyed reading about its background.