Madame White Snake
Encyclopedia
The Legend of the White Snake, also known as Madame White Snake, is a Chinese legend, which existed as oral traditions before any written compilation. It has since become a major subject of several Chinese opera
s, films and television series.
The earliest attempt to fictionalize the story appears to be The White Maiden Locked for Eternity in the Leifeng Pagoda
(白娘子永鎮雷峰塔) in Feng Menglong
's Jingshi Tongyan
(警世通言), which was written during the Ming Dynasty
.
.
Over centuries the story has evolved from a horror tale to a romance story, which tells that the scholar and the snake woman are genuinely in love with each other, but their relationship is forbidden by nature's law. There are also other variations of the story, such as the white snake having met the scholar before and the story continues in their next lives, or the white snake's offspring being a reincarnation of the deity Wenchang Wang
.
An additional character is a hundred year old green snake (or in some cases a carp) that has also transformed into a woman, and serves as the white snake-woman's close friend and confidante.
.
Bai Suzhen (白素貞), a female white snake, dreams of becoming a goddess by doing good deeds. She transforms herself into a woman and travels to the human realm. There, she meets a green snake, Qing (青), who causes disaster in the area she lives. Bai holds Qing captive at the bottom of a lake but promises her that she will return 300 years later to free her. Bai keeps her word and develops a sisterly bond with Qing. They encounter Fahai, a sorcerer who believes that every demon is inherently evil and must be destroyed. However, Bai is too powerful and Fahai is unable to eliminate her immediately, so he vows to destroy them if he sees them again.
Fearing that they will meet more human sorcerers, Bai and Qing retreat to the Banbuduo, a realm that exists between the human and demon worlds. They try to perform good deeds by bringing rain to places experiencing drought. However, Qing was careless and almost flooded the whole town once. Due to this mistake, Bai loses her chance to become an immortal. However, Guan Yin informs her that she may have yet another opportunity.
In the meantime, Bai and Qing accidentally bring a scholar named Xu Xian, and his friend, into the demon world. Bai protects them from the other demons and falls in love with Xu in the process. After the battle with the lord of the Underworld, Xu confesses his feelings for Bai, claiming that it was love at first sight. However, for a human to return to his world, he must first become unconscious and have any memory about his experience in the demon realm erased, but Xu knows and avoids being knocked out. However, Fahai finds a way into the demon world and he tricks Xu into being knocked out.
When Xu Xian returns to the human realm he forgets everything. Since he and his friend entered the portal separately, they end up in different locations. Xu meets many new people there. Not long later, Bai takes a final step to becoming a goddess, which is to collect human tears. Bai sees Xu with another woman and assumes that they are a couple. Qing realizes that when Xu and Bai meet, Xu will fall in love with Bai again, so she helps to arrange a meeting for them. Xu and Bai are married, open a medicine shop and live happily together.
However, as humans and demons are forbidden to bond, the town is struck by a plague and ends up on the verge of total destruction. Bai, Qing and Fahai finally agree to a truce and obtain a magical herb needed to help the population. Bai becomes pregnant later with Xu's child, but Fahai continues to attempt to eliminate her and Qing.
On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, when the Duanwu Festival is held, demons in human form will revert to their original shape. Bai thus decides to take Qing and Xu Xian back to Banbuduo, but Xu falls for Fahai's trick again. Bai's true form is revealed and Xu is literally scared to death. Bai retrieves a drug that restores Xu to life. After giving birth to Xu's son, Bai is unable to control herself anymore and is forced to tell her husband the truth about her origin. Xu kindly accepts her, but Fahai attacks the weakened Bai and imprisons her for eternity in Leifeng Pagoda
.
's Jingshi Tongyan (警世通言), the white snake did not have a name. The name "Bai Suzhen" was created only later.
The story in Jingshi Tongyan was a story of good and evil, with Fahai out to save Xu Xian's soul from the demon Bai Suzhen. Over the centuries however the story has evolved from horror to romance with Bai and Xu genuinely in love with one another, but such a relationship is forbidden by the laws of Heaven.
Modifications to the story included:
1. Redemption of Bai:
2. Redemption of Bai (alternative version)
3. Reincarnation
Chinese folklore and Zodiac traditions both acknowledge snakes as the seducers and charmers throughout history of which there is equal fear and admiration for. There is a common and likely male dominated perception that Empress Wu Zetian
of the Tang Dynasty
thrust herself into power by having these intrinsic serpent qualities. Therefore the parallels between the story of Madam White and Wu Zetian are easy to draw.
Chinese opera
Chinese opera is a popular form of drama and musical theatre in China with roots going back as far as the third century CE...
s, films and television series.
The earliest attempt to fictionalize the story appears to be The White Maiden Locked for Eternity in the Leifeng Pagoda
Leifeng Pagoda
Leifeng Pagoda is a five story tall tower with eight sides, located on Sunset Hill south of the West Lake in Hangzhou. Originally constructed in the year AD 975, it collapsed in 1924 but was rebuilt in 2002, since when it has been a popular tourist attraction.-Original:The original pagoda was...
(白娘子永鎮雷峰塔) in Feng Menglong
Feng Menglong
Feng Menglong was a Chinese vernacular writer and poet of the late Ming Dynasty. He was born in Changzhou, now Suzhou, in Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China....
's Jingshi Tongyan
Jingshi Tongyan
Jingshi Tongyan is the second of a trilogy of widely celebrated Ming Dynasty vernacular story collections, compiled and edited by Feng Menglong. The first compilation, called Gujin Xiaoshuo , which is sometimes also referred to as Yushi Mingyan was published in Suzhou in 1620...
(警世通言), which was written during the Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
.
Basic story
At its most basic, the story tells of a young scholar who falls in love with a beautiful woman, unaware that she is a thousand year old white snake that has taken on human form. A monk intervenes in order to maintain a law that forbids humans and spirits from falling in love with each other, and casts the white snake into a deep well at Leifeng PagodaLeifeng Pagoda
Leifeng Pagoda is a five story tall tower with eight sides, located on Sunset Hill south of the West Lake in Hangzhou. Originally constructed in the year AD 975, it collapsed in 1924 but was rebuilt in 2002, since when it has been a popular tourist attraction.-Original:The original pagoda was...
.
Over centuries the story has evolved from a horror tale to a romance story, which tells that the scholar and the snake woman are genuinely in love with each other, but their relationship is forbidden by nature's law. There are also other variations of the story, such as the white snake having met the scholar before and the story continues in their next lives, or the white snake's offspring being a reincarnation of the deity Wenchang Wang
Wenchang Wang
Wenchang Wang, or Wenchang Dijun, is a Taoist deity in Chinese Mythology, known as the God of Culture and Literature. He is also at times referred to simply as Wen Qu, or Wen. The literal translation of his name would be King of Flourishing Culture/Language . Wenchang Wang is physically...
.
An additional character is a hundred year old green snake (or in some cases a carp) that has also transformed into a woman, and serves as the white snake-woman's close friend and confidante.
Full story
The story is set in the Southern Song DynastySong Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
.
Bai Suzhen (白素貞), a female white snake, dreams of becoming a goddess by doing good deeds. She transforms herself into a woman and travels to the human realm. There, she meets a green snake, Qing (青), who causes disaster in the area she lives. Bai holds Qing captive at the bottom of a lake but promises her that she will return 300 years later to free her. Bai keeps her word and develops a sisterly bond with Qing. They encounter Fahai, a sorcerer who believes that every demon is inherently evil and must be destroyed. However, Bai is too powerful and Fahai is unable to eliminate her immediately, so he vows to destroy them if he sees them again.
Fearing that they will meet more human sorcerers, Bai and Qing retreat to the Banbuduo, a realm that exists between the human and demon worlds. They try to perform good deeds by bringing rain to places experiencing drought. However, Qing was careless and almost flooded the whole town once. Due to this mistake, Bai loses her chance to become an immortal. However, Guan Yin informs her that she may have yet another opportunity.
In the meantime, Bai and Qing accidentally bring a scholar named Xu Xian, and his friend, into the demon world. Bai protects them from the other demons and falls in love with Xu in the process. After the battle with the lord of the Underworld, Xu confesses his feelings for Bai, claiming that it was love at first sight. However, for a human to return to his world, he must first become unconscious and have any memory about his experience in the demon realm erased, but Xu knows and avoids being knocked out. However, Fahai finds a way into the demon world and he tricks Xu into being knocked out.
When Xu Xian returns to the human realm he forgets everything. Since he and his friend entered the portal separately, they end up in different locations. Xu meets many new people there. Not long later, Bai takes a final step to becoming a goddess, which is to collect human tears. Bai sees Xu with another woman and assumes that they are a couple. Qing realizes that when Xu and Bai meet, Xu will fall in love with Bai again, so she helps to arrange a meeting for them. Xu and Bai are married, open a medicine shop and live happily together.
However, as humans and demons are forbidden to bond, the town is struck by a plague and ends up on the verge of total destruction. Bai, Qing and Fahai finally agree to a truce and obtain a magical herb needed to help the population. Bai becomes pregnant later with Xu's child, but Fahai continues to attempt to eliminate her and Qing.
On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, when the Duanwu Festival is held, demons in human form will revert to their original shape. Bai thus decides to take Qing and Xu Xian back to Banbuduo, but Xu falls for Fahai's trick again. Bai's true form is revealed and Xu is literally scared to death. Bai retrieves a drug that restores Xu to life. After giving birth to Xu's son, Bai is unable to control herself anymore and is forced to tell her husband the truth about her origin. Xu kindly accepts her, but Fahai attacks the weakened Bai and imprisons her for eternity in Leifeng Pagoda
Leifeng Pagoda
Leifeng Pagoda is a five story tall tower with eight sides, located on Sunset Hill south of the West Lake in Hangzhou. Originally constructed in the year AD 975, it collapsed in 1924 but was rebuilt in 2002, since when it has been a popular tourist attraction.-Original:The original pagoda was...
.
Modifications
In Feng MenglongFeng Menglong
Feng Menglong was a Chinese vernacular writer and poet of the late Ming Dynasty. He was born in Changzhou, now Suzhou, in Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China....
's Jingshi Tongyan (警世通言), the white snake did not have a name. The name "Bai Suzhen" was created only later.
The story in Jingshi Tongyan was a story of good and evil, with Fahai out to save Xu Xian's soul from the demon Bai Suzhen. Over the centuries however the story has evolved from horror to romance with Bai and Xu genuinely in love with one another, but such a relationship is forbidden by the laws of Heaven.
Modifications to the story included:
1. Redemption of Bai:
- After Bai is trapped in the Leifeng PagodaLeifeng PagodaLeifeng Pagoda is a five story tall tower with eight sides, located on Sunset Hill south of the West Lake in Hangzhou. Originally constructed in the year AD 975, it collapsed in 1924 but was rebuilt in 2002, since when it has been a popular tourist attraction.-Original:The original pagoda was...
, Qing escapes and leaves to train and increase her power. She returns later and defeats Fahai, releasing Bai. Fahai retreats to the stomach of a crab. A saying that a crab's internal fat is orange because it resembles the colour of Fahai's kasayaKasaya (clothing)Kāṣāya are the robes of Buddhist monks and nuns, named after a brown or saffron dye. In Sanskrit and Pali, these robes are also given the more general term cīvara, which references the robes without regard to color....
.
2. Redemption of Bai (alternative version)
- Bai gives birth to Xu's son before she is trapped. Qing brings the baby to Xu's relatives, who raised him. The boy grows up to become the top scholar in the imperial examinationImperial examinationThe Imperial examination was an examination system in Imperial China designed to select the best administrative officials for the state's bureaucracy. This system had a huge influence on both society and culture in Imperial China and was directly responsible for the creation of a class of...
. He returns to Leifeng Pagoda to pay respect and Bai is released because of her son's filial piety.
3. Reincarnation
Reincarnation
Reincarnation best describes the concept where the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, is believed to return to live in a new human body, or, in some traditions, either as a human being, animal or plant...
- In a retcon version of the story, Xu and Bai are actually immortals in Heaven. However, they break celestial rules and are banished to the human world. The human Xu saves a white snake that is actually Bai, and they meet again to begin the story of Madame White Snake.
Reference and parallel to Wu Zetian
A quote from the adaptation Madam White Kept Forever under Thunder Peak Tower (Stories to Caution the World) states: "Judging from the case of Empress Wu, how we know that this white snake is not a beautiful woman? Who is to say that a white snake can’t change into a beautiful woman?" [i] Another quote in Lady White Snake: A Tale From Chinese Opera, retold by Aaron Shepard, states that an "animal may become a human. A human may become a god. Just so, a snake may become a woman."Chinese folklore and Zodiac traditions both acknowledge snakes as the seducers and charmers throughout history of which there is equal fear and admiration for. There is a common and likely male dominated perception that Empress Wu Zetian
Wu Zetian
Wu Zetian , personal name Wu Zhao , often referred to as Tian Hou during the Tang Dynasty and Empress Consort Wu in later times, was the only woman in the history of China to assume the title of Empress Regnant...
of the Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
thrust herself into power by having these intrinsic serpent qualities. Therefore the parallels between the story of Madam White and Wu Zetian are easy to draw.
Operas and stage plays
- The story has been performed numerous times in Peking opera, Cantonese operaCantonese operaCantonese opera is one of the major categories in Chinese opera, originating in southern China's Cantonese culture. It is popular in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore and Malaysia. Like all versions of Chinese opera, it is a traditional Chinese art form, involving music, singing,...
and other Chinese operaChinese operaChinese opera is a popular form of drama and musical theatre in China with roots going back as far as the third century CE...
s.
- Stage musical adaptations in Hong Kong include:
-
- Pai Niang Niang, created by Joseph KooJoseph KooJoseph Koo Kar-Fai, MBE, SBS is one of the most respected composers in Hong Kong. He used the pen name Moran for Mandarin songs. He is the younger brother of famous Chinese singer Koo Mei .-Career:...
and Wong JimWong JimJames Wong Jim was a Cantopop lyricist and writer based primarily in Hong Kong. He was also a well known in Asia as a columnist, actor, film director, screenwriter and talk show hosts. He took part in creative directing positions within the entertainment industry in Hong Kong...
. Premiering in 1972, it marked the start of the musical theatre industry in Hong Kong. - White Snake, Green Snake (2005), created by Christopher Wong
- The Legend of the White Snake, created by Leon KoLeon KoLeon Ko Sai Tseung is a composer for musical theatre and films. He won a Richard Rodgers Development Award, a Golden Horse Award and numerous musical awards. His mother, Lucilla You Min , was a famous actress in post-war Hong Kong Mandarin cinema and won the 1st Annual Golden Horse Awards and two...
and Chris Shum
- Pai Niang Niang, created by Joseph Koo
- Taiwan's Cloud Gate Dance TheaterCloud Gate Dance TheaterCloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan is a modern dance group based in Taiwan. It was founded by choreographer Lin Hwai-min in 1973, and later he shared its management with his late protégé, Lo Man-fei , a renowned choreographer in her own right....
performed a modern dance interpretation of Madam White Snake in the 1970s.
- In 2010, an opera based on the legend, Madame White Snake, with music by Zhou LongZhou LongZhou Long is a Pulitzer-prize-winning Chinese American composer.-Biography:Born into an artistic family, Zhou Long began studying piano from an early age. Due to the artistic restrictions implemented during the Cultural Revolution, he was forced to delay his piano studies and live on a state-run...
and a libretto by Cerise Lim Jacobs, premiered in a production by Opera BostonOpera BostonOpera Boston is an opera company in Boston, Massachusetts. It specializes in innovative repertoire and rarely heard works, along with opera education and outreach programs designed to bring opera education to children, in schools and after-school programs throughout the Boston area.Its home base is...
. It won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize2011 Pulitzer PrizeThe 2011 Pulitzer Prizes were announced on Monday, April 18, 2011. The Los Angeles Times won two prizes, including the highest honor for Public Service. The New York Times also won two awards. No prize was handed out in the Breaking News category. The Wall Street Journal won an award for the first...
in Music.
Films
- The Legend of the White SerpentThe Legend of the White Serpent (1956 film)aka Madame White Snake is a 1956 color Japanese film directed by Shirō Toyoda. At the 6th Berlin International Film Festival it won the Honourable Mention award....
(白夫人の妖恋), a 1956 Japanese film made by TohoTohois a Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company. It is headquartered in Yūrakuchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group...
in collaboration with Hong Kong's Shaw Brothers StudioShaw Brothers StudioThe Shaw Brothers Studio , owned by Shaw Brothers Ltd., was the foremost and the largest movie production company of Hong Kong movies.From their distribution base in Singapore where they founded parent company Shaw Organization in 1924, and as a strategic development of their movie distribution...
. It was noted for being the first Toho film to be in color.
- The Tale of the White SerpentThe Tale of the White Serpentis the first color anime feature film, released in 1958. It was also the first to be released in America, under the title Panda and the Magic Serpent, preceding Magic Boy by three months...
(白蛇傳), the first coloured anime feature film released in Japan in 1958. The U.S. release title was Panda and the Magic Serpent. It was also one of the rare instances where Qing is represented as a fish demon and not a snake demon. It was also the only known film based on the legend to be dubbed in German (German release title: Erzählung einer weißen Schlange).
- Madam White Snake, a 1962 film produced by Hong Kong's Shaw Brothers Studio. This version is a Huangmei operaHuangmei OperaHuangmei opera or Huangmei tone originated as a form of rural folksong and dance that has been in existence for the last 200 years and possibly longer. The music is performed with a pitch that hits high and stays high for the duration of the song...
directed by Feng Yueh, with music by Wang Fu-ling on a librettoLibrettoA libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by Li Chun-ching.
- Snake Woman's Marriage (白蛇大鬧天宮), a 1975 Taiwanese film directed by Sun Yang
- Green SnakeGreen SnakeGreen Snake is a 1993 Hong Kong fantasy film made by Tsui Hark. It is the adaptation of a novel of the same title by Lilian Lee....
(青蛇), a 1993 Hong Kong film directed by Tsui HarkTsui HarkTsui Hark , born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong New Wave film director and producer. He is viewed as a major figure in the Golden Age of Hong Kong cinema .-Early life:...
, starring Maggie CheungMaggie CheungMaggie Cheung Man yuk is a Chinese actress from Hong Kong. Raised in England and Hong Kong, she has over 70 films to her credit since starting her career in 1983...
, Joey WongJoey WongJoey Wong is a Hong Kong based Taiwanese-born actress.-Biography:Wong was born on January 31, 1967 and raised in Taipei and also received a secondary school education there. She was enrolled in the drama course of Kuo Kwan Arts School...
, Vincent ZhaoVincent ZhaoVincent Zhao Wenzhuo , sometimes credited as Chiu Man-cheuk, is a Chinese actor and martial artist. Zhao is best known playing the role of Chinese folk hero Wong Fei-hung in the Once Upon a Time in China film and television series.-Early life:Zhao was born in Harbin, Heilongjiang, China, as the...
and Wu Hsing-kuoWu Hsing-kuoWu Hsing-kuo is a Taiwanese actor of the silver screen and theater, known for both his performance of complex movie roles as much as for his innovative adaptations of Western classics into traditional Peking Opera....
.
- The Sorcerer and the White SnakeThe Sorcerer and the White SnakeThe Sorcerer and the White Snake, previously known as, It's Love and Madame White Snake is a 2011 film directed by Ching Siu-tung and starring Jet Li. It is based on the Chinese Legend of the White Snake. Production started in September 10, 2010 and ended on January 16, 2011...
(白蛇傳說), an upcoming 3D film starring Jet LiJet LiThe fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was too hard to pronounce...
, Huang ShengyiHuang ShengyiHuang Shengyi , also known as Eva Huang, is a Chinese actress and singer.-Biography:Huang was born and raised in Shanghai. Her father was educated in the United States and lived there in the early 1990s, while her mother worked as an editor in a newspaper agency in Shanghai...
, Raymond LamRaymond LamRaymond Lam Fung is a Hong Kong actor and singer contracted to the television station TVB and EEG's Music Plus label. He has been famous with his "choking" look.-Early years:Raymond Lam was born into a wealthy family...
and Charlene ChoiCharlene ChoiCharlene Choi is a Hong Kong based actress and singer. She is a member of Cantopop group Twins, along with Gillian Chung.-Biography:...
.
- The Legend of Lady White Snake: A Tribute to the Spirit of Alexander McQueen, an upcoming short film starring Daphne GuinnessDaphne GuinnessThe Honourable Daphne Diana Joan Suzannah Guinness is an artist of Irish, English, and French descent and an heiress of the Guinness family...
, directed by Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri, with creative direction/styling by GK ReidGK ReidGK Reid is an American fashion stylist best known for his fashion styling work with celebrities and top fashion photographers, as well as for creating his own designs.-Career:...
, and produced by Markus Klinko & Indrani, Daphne GuinnessDaphne GuinnessThe Honourable Daphne Diana Joan Suzannah Guinness is an artist of Irish, English, and French descent and an heiress of the Guinness family...
and GK ReidGK ReidGK Reid is an American fashion stylist best known for his fashion styling work with celebrities and top fashion photographers, as well as for creating his own designs.-Career:...
. Inspired by the ancient Chinese legend, the film is set in contemporary New York. Previews of the film are featured in the Daphne Guinness Exhibition at the Museum of the Fashion Institute from September 16, 2011 through January 6, 2012.
Television
- The Serpentine Romance (奇幻人間世), a 1990 television series produced by Hong Kong's TVBTelevision Broadcasts LimitedTelevision Broadcasts Limited, commonly known as TVB, is the second over-the-air commercial television station in Hong Kong. It commenced broadcasting on 19 November 1967...
, starring Maggie Chan, Maggie SiuMaggie SiuMaggie Shiu Mei-kei , sometimes credited as Maggie Shaw, is a prominent Hong Kong actress.-Career:Her career began in 1985 when she joined Hong Kong TVB. As her career developed, she took on variety of roles in TV series and movies...
and Hugo Ng.
- New Legend of Madame White SnakeNew Legend of Madame White SnakeNew Legend of Madame White Snake [新白娘子传奇] is a 1993 TV series starring Angie Chiu and Cecilia Yip.-Characters:* Angie Chiu - Bai SuZhen / Hu Mei Niang 白素貞 / 胡媚娘* Cecilia Yip - Xu Xian / Xu Shi Lin 許仙 / 許仕林* Maggie Chan - Xiao Qing 青兒...
/ The Legend of White Snake (新白娘子傳奇), a 1992 Taiwanese television series starring Angie ChiuAngie ChiuAngie Chiu , born 15 November 1954 in Hong Kong is an actress, and was the third runner up in the 1973 Miss Hong Kong pageant...
, Cecilia YipCecilia YipCecilia Yip Tung is a Hong Kong actress. Cecilia Yip is a well-regarded actress from Hong Kong whose work is known throughout Asia, especially Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. She began her acting career in 1982 with "Nomad" in which she was nominated for The Best Newcomer of The Year Award...
and Maggie Chen. It was aired in the Philippines under the title Lady White Snake in 1997.
- The Legendary White Snake (白蛇後傳之人間有愛), a 1995 Singaporean television series starring Geoffrey Tso, Lin Yisheng, Terence CaoTerence CaoTerence Cao is a Singaporean Chinese MediaCorp television actor.-Biography:Cao was educated at Anglo-Chinese School in Singapore. Prior to joining SBC in 1989, Cao worked as a flight attendant...
, Lina NgLina NgLina Ng is a Singaporean JTEAM actress, formerly under MediaCorp and MediaWorks. She was initiated into acting as the 1st runner-up for Star Search 1993. She currently runs a childcare centre with ex-MediaWorks actress Evelyn Tan...
, Ding Lan, Liu Qiulian and Wang Changli.
- My Date with a VampireMy Date with a VampireMy Date with a Vampire is a 1998 Hong Kong television series produced by ATV. It was followed by My Date with a Vampire II and My Date with a Vampire III . The drama starred Eric Wan and Joey Meng in the leading roles. The plot is based on future events of the story in Vampire Expert, a similar...
(我和殭屍有個約會), a Hong Kong television series produced by ATVAsia Television LimitedAsia Television Limited is one of the two free-to-air television broadcasters in Hong Kong, the other being rival Television Broadcasts Limited . It launched in 1957 under the name Rediffusion Television as the first television station in Hong Kong...
. The series made extensive use of the story, reusing it in the first season (1998) and a modified version in the second season (1999).
- Madam White Snake / Legend of the Snake SpiritsMadam White Snake (TV series)Madam White Snake is a gongfu TV drama series jointly produced by MediaCorp and Taiwanese producer Yang Peipei's Workshop....
(白蛇新傳), a 2001 Taiwanese and Singapore co-produced television series starring Fann WongFann WongFann Woon Fong , better known by her stage name Fann Wong, is a Singaporean actress, singer and model.At Singapore's Star Awards 1995, Fann became the first actress to win both the Best Actress and Best Newcomer awards in the same year...
, Christopher LeeChristopher Lee (Singaporean actor)Christopher Lee , born Lee Meng Soon, is a Singapore-based Malaysian Chinese film and television actor, host and singer.-Early life:Lee studied up to form 5 in Sekolah Menangah Seri Kota, Air Leleh, Malacca, Malaysia...
, Zhang Yuyan and Vincent Jiao.
- Madame White Snake (白蛇傳), a 2005 Chinese television series starring Liu TaoLiu TaoFor Liù Tāo 韜 see Six Secret TeachingsLiu Tao , is a Chinese actress. Her major works include Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, The Last Concubine, Princess Pearl and Dali Princess alongside popular Taiwanese actress Ruby Lin...
, Pan Yueming, Chen Zihan and Liu Xiaofeng.
- The Legend of White Snake Sequel / Tale of the Oriental Serpent (白蛇後傳), a 2009 sequel to Madame White Snake (2005), starring Fu Miao, Qiu Xinzhi, Shi Zhaoqi, Chi Shuai and Cecilia LiuCecilia LiuLiu Shishi , better known as Cecilia Liu, is a Chinese film and television actress and ballerina.-Biography:...
.
- Love of the Millennium (又見白娘子), an upcoming Chinese television series as a sequel to New Legend of Madame White Snake (1992), starring Zuo Xiaoqing, Queenie Tai, Ren Quan and Shen Xiaohai.
Others
- In the West there have been children's picture book adaptations of the legend, written by Western authors and illustrated by Chinese artists, including:
-
- Legend of the White Serpent by A. Fullarton Prior, illustrated by Kwan Sang-Mei
- and Lady White Snake: A Tale From Chinese Opera, by Aaron Shepard, illustrated by Song Nang Zhang
- The novella The Devil Wives of Li Fong by E. Hoffmann Price is based on the story.
- In 2009, Dantes Dailiang made use of the Chinese lyrics of the Legend of White Snake for his song La muse aux lèvres rouges (红唇之缪斯女神) recorded in his LP DailiangDailiangDailiang is the second solo album of Dantès Dailiang. The double Chinese-french album is released in 2009 and distributed the same year in all China with Jiesheng Records and with Mosaic Label in France. The Chinese name of the record is 下有戴亮...
.