TheLegendofWhiteSnake,alsoknownasBaiSheZhuan,isaclassicChinesefolktalethatdatesbacktotheMingDynasty.IttellstheromanticandtragiclovestorybetweenawhitesnakespiritnamedBaiSuzhenandamortalmannamedXuXian.ThestorybeginswhenBaiSuzhen,awhitesnakewhohascultivatedherpowersforcenturiesandtakenhumanform,fallsinlovewithXuXianduringachanceencounterattheWestLakeinHangzhou.WiththehelpofhercompanionXiaoQing,agreensnakespirit,BaiSuzhenmarriesXuXianandtheyopenamedicineshoptogether.However,theirhappinessisthreatenedbythemonkFahaifromtheJinshanTemple,whoseesthroughBaiSuzhen'strueidentityandbelievesspiritsandhumansshouldnotmix.Hepersistentlytriestoseparatethecouple,leadingtoadramaticconfrontationwhereBaiSuzhenuseshermagicalpowerstofloodtheJinshanTempleinanattempttosaveherhusband.Ultimately,BaiSuzhenisdefeatedbyFahaiandimprisonedundertheLeifengPagoda,separatingherfromXuXianandtheirunbornchild.Thestoryhasbeenadaptedintovariousoperas,TVseries,andfilms,withdifferentversionsofferingalternateendings-sometragic,somehopeful.ItremainsoneofChina'smostbelovedfolktales,exploringthemesoflovetranscendingboundaries,theconflictbetweenhumanandsupernaturalworlds,andthepoweroftruedevotion.
