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The Myth of Lady White Snake

"Lady White Snake" is a famous Chinese legend, in which two female snakes are transformed into human forms after a thousand years of meditation. One day the two snakes, who call themselves White and Green, met a poor young man, Xu, by West Lake in Hangzhou. White and Xu fell in love, but a monk, Fahai, discovers the true identity of White and locks her under the Leifeng Pagoda to save Xu. White gave birth to a baby boy, who was brought up by Green. The son knocks down pagoda, and finally sets his mother free.

The story of Lady White Snake has been passed through generations with great controversy. Some people consider the monk Fahai a solemn guardian of human safety, while others have pity on the snakes. The book, The Myth of Lady White Snake, explores the fine line between acceptance and rejection in human society. How much diversity can we allow, wondered the author.

The book is part of a global myth re-telling programme initiated by Canongate Books in Britain and joined by publishers in about 30 other countries. Three Chinese folk stories have been re-written in the programme. In addition to the story of White Snake, there are also Su Tong’s Binu（《碧奴》）, a Chinese epic of a girl whose cries bring down the Great Wall, and Ye Zhaoyan’s（叶兆言）Houyi（《后羿》）, about an ancient hero who shot down eight out of nine suns in the sky.

The Leifeng Pagoda has actually been rebuilt and stands by the West Lake in Hangzhou today. Instead of a strong cold symbol of oppressive power, the pagoda is given a new meaning by the author of tolerance and acceptance, with true generosity and mercy for those who may differ either in body or mind.