The Legend of the White Snake
A snake spirit took human form, fell in love with a man by West Lake, and was imprisoned beneath a pagoda for it.
What was reported
One of China's four great folk tales tells of Bai Suzhen, a white snake spirit who, after centuries of practice, took the form of a beautiful woman. She met a young man, Xu Xian, on a bridge over West Lake in Hangzhou, sharing an umbrella in the rain, and they married.
A monk, Fahai, convinced their love was wrong, revealed her true form and finally imprisoned her beneath the Leifeng Pagoda. The old pagoda collapsed in 1924, and a new one was built on the site in 2002.
Explanations offered
The tale has many versions and has been told in opera, film and television for centuries, its heroine growing more sympathetic over time. When the old pagoda fell, some saw it as the white snake's release. The pagoda and the Broken Bridge are among Hangzhou's most visited sights.
- When
- Told for centuries
- Where
- Leifeng Pagoda, West Lake, Hangzhou, China
- Witnesses
- Chinese tradition
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.