Legend of White Snake in Four Chinese Folk Stories

In the Song Dynasty, the White Snake was a snake demon trained for thousands of years. In order to repay the scholar Xu Xian for saving his life in his last life, he turned into a human figure to repay his kindness. Later, I met the green snake essence Xiaoqing and they got together. Mrs White Snake used his magic to get to know Xu Xian and marry him.

After the marriage, the monk Fahai of Jinshan Temple told Xu Xian that White Snake was a snake demon, and Xu Xian was skeptical. Later, according to Fahai's method, Xu Xian asked the White Snake to drink realgar wine during the Dragon Boat Festival. Mrs White Snake had to show his true colors, but he scared Xu Xian half to death.

The White Snake went to Heaven to steal the fairy grass Ganoderma lucidum to save Xu Xian. Fahai tricked Xu Xian into Jinshan Temple and put him under house arrest. The White Snake fought with Fahai, flooded Jinshan Temple, but hurt other creatures.

After giving birth, the White Snake who broke the dogma was put into a bowl by Fahai and suppressed under the Leifeng Tower. Mrs. White Snake's son became the best scholar when he grew up. He went to the tower to worship his mother, saved her and reunited the whole family.

Extended data:

The legend of White Snake is widely circulated in China. At first, it was spread orally. Later, it appeared in various forms such as commenting on stories, telling stories and playing lyrics, and gradually evolved into a drama performance. Later, there were novels, and after the Republic of China, there were operas, Taiwanese operas and cartoons.

In modern times, there are also films based on the legend of the White Snake, modern dances, new novels and so on. This story appeared in the name of Legend of the White Snake, probably in the late Qing Dynasty, and there was no fixed name before.

The Legend of the White Snake is not only circulated in China, but also made into a movie in Japan. French sinologist stanislas Julien also translated The Legend of the White Snake into French. Because the story of Legend of the White Snake was mainly passed down from mouth to mouth in the early days, different versions and details were derived.

Some original stories ended with the White Snake being suppressed under the Leifeng Pagoda, some versions had the plot that the White Snake gave birth, and some versions had the happy ending that the son of the White Snake won the first prize and sacrificed the pagoda to save his mother.

But the basic elements of this story are generally believed to have existed in the Southern Song Dynasty. At present, the earliest shaping story of the white snake legend is recorded in Feng Menglong's Warning Story, Volume 28, White Snake Leifeng Pagoda in Yongzhen.

In the early years of Qing Dynasty, Huang Tu's "Leifeng Pagoda" (Wang Shan Pavilion) was the earliest opera in China. He only wrote that the white snake was suppressed under the Leifeng pagoda, and there was no sacrifice to the pagoda.

Later, The Old Manuscript of Liyuan (probably written by Chen's father and daughter, but the existing score is incomplete) is a widely circulated book, with the plot that a white snake gives birth to a child.

Character introduction:

1, White Snake

White Snake, born in Qingcheng Mountain, Chengdu, Sichuan, is a white snake essence who has been practicing for thousands of years. Legend has it that he is a disciple of Lishan's mother and the hero of Legend of the White Snake, one of the four ancient folk love legends. Bai Niangzi practiced Taoism in Qingcheng Mountain and Emei Mountain, and her magic was high.

Her beauty is peerless, her eyes are bright and her teeth are white. She is beautiful, elegant and noble in the world. He was kind-hearted, used medicine to help the world and benefit the people of Li, and his merits were boundless.

White Snake and Xu Xian met in the West Lake, fell in love at first sight and got married. Fahai, a monk in Jinshan Temple, bewitched Xu Xian and alienated the feelings of husband and wife. Xu Xian listened to rumors and left home for Jinshan. From Bai Niangzi to Jinshan Suofu, there was a struggle with Fahai, which caused the water to overflow Jinshan.

Fahai dispersed them by force and put Mrs. White Snake under the Leifeng Tower. Twenty years later, Xu Shilin, the son of White Snake, won the top prize in Xiaogan, and White Snake finally got out of the tower and returned to Xiansaka.

2. Xu Xian

Xu Xian, whose handwriting is China's, is now the legend of white snake, a hero in ancient folklore in China. In early legends, Xu Xian was called "Xi Xuanzan", and later called "Xi Xuanzan" and "Xu Xuan".

3. Fahai

The real Fahai does exist in history. Although the prototype identity is still controversial, it is certain that he is a Taoist priest, and some people think that he is a monk who made outstanding achievements in the development of Buddhism in China in the Tang Dynasty.

There are several monks named Fahai in history, and the most famous one is Fahai Zen Master of Jinshan Temple. In film and television dramas, Fahai is a successful role: whether it is the old Fahai in The Legend of the New White Snake or the cool Fahai in The Green Snake.

They are all indispensable and important characters in the plot performance of the play, leaving people with multiple impressions of being both righteous and evil, persistent and insidious, cold and affectionate, which makes people deeply touched, entangled, worshipped or hated.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Four China Folk Stories