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The Legend of the White Snake is one of China’s four great folktales, the others being Lady Meng Jiang, Butterfly Lovers, and <a href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/figures-stories/the-weaving-maiden-and-the-herd-boy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl</a>. Early versions of this tale can be traced to the Southern Song story collection Records of Three Pagodas of West Lake (《西湖三塔记》) and the Yuan zaju play The White Snake (《白蛇记》). By the Ming dynasty, Feng Menglong (冯梦龙)’s Stories to Caution the World—specifically the tale Madam White Forever Imprisoned Beneath Leifeng Pagoda (《警世通言·白娘子永镇雷峰塔》)—refined the narrative. During the Qing dynasty, it gained widespread popularity through operas and folk performances, becoming a beloved classic.
The story recounts how Bai Suzhen (白素贞), a white snake spirit who has cultivated her powers for a thousand years, and Xiaoqing (小青), a green snake spirit, transform into humans to experience the mortal world. While visiting West Lake in Hangzhou, Bai Suzhen encounters a scholar named Xu Xian (许仙). The two fall in love at first sight, and get married soon afterwards. Xiaoqing, leading five little spirits, manages to steal money from a corrupted governor’s bank so that Bai Suzhen and Xu Xian can open a local pharmacy. However, abbot Fa Hai (法海) discovers Bai Suzhen’s true identity as a spirit and, believing that humans and spirits cannot coexist, repeatedly intervenes.
On the Duanwu Festival (端午节), Fa Hai tricks Xu Xian into persuading Bai Suzhen <a href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/blogs/culture-and-customs/duanwu-festival-and-combating-the-five-poisons-in-chinese-seasonal-customs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to drink realgar wine</a>, which forces her to reveal her snake form. Terrified, Xu collapses and dies. Bai Suzhen risks her life to steal an immortal herb, reviving Xu Xian, though their lives are fraught with tension from that point onward.
Fa Hai lures Xu Xian to Jinshan Temple and traps him there. Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing lead an army of undersea creatures to attack the monastery with storms and floods, but they are defeated by Fa Hai’s superior Buddhist magic, aided by heavenly warriors. Bai Suzhen retreats to Hangzhou and, at Duanqiao, she unexpectedly reunites with Xu Xian, who manages to escape from the temple during the sea battle. The couple reminisce about their first meeting at Duanqiao and eventually reconcile.
Bai Suzhen later gives birth to a son, Xu Shilin (许仕林). Seizing an opportunity, Fa Hai captures Bai Suzhen using a magical alms bowl and imprisons her beneath Leifeng Pagoda (雷峰塔), separating her from her family.
Years later, Xu Shilin achieves the highest honours in the imperial civil service examinations and returns to Hangzhou in glory. He visits Leifeng Pagoda to honour his mother. His filial piety and Bai Suzhen’s enduring loyalty move the heavens, causing the pagoda to collapse. Bai Suzhen is finally freed and reunites with her son.
This tale, blending fantasy with human emotion, reflects themes of love, sacrifice, and the struggle against fate, securing its place as a cherished masterpiece in Chinese culture.
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Story scene description by <a href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/about-us/rachel-ma/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rachel Ma</a>
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Other Figural Stories:
<a href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/figures-stories/heavenly-master-zhang-quelling-the-five-poisons/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Heavenly Master Zhang Quelling the Five Poisons</a> 张天师降五毒
<a href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/figures-stories/story-of-the-white-hare/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Story of the White Hare</a> 白兔记

Legend of the White Snake

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As the deity who grants success in the imperial examinations, <a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/figures-stories/god-of-literature/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kui Xing</a> 魁星 is revered as the God of Literature. The image of Kui Xing is often presented as a spirit holding a writing brush in one hand and a scroll or a tablet in the other. He is often seen standing on one foot while the other is kicking back towards an ink vessel (斗 dou).
During the Tang and Song dynasties, scholars who scored number one in imperial examinations would stand on the head of large <a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/motifs-symbols/dragon/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dragon</a>&#8211;<a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/motifs-symbols/fish/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">carp </a>reliefs on the steps in front of the imperial palace to receive the announcement of the ranking. Therefore, a person who can make it and <a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/motifs-symbols/may-you-be-the-only-one-who-can-stand-on-the-head-of-a-dragon-carp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stand on the head of a dragon-carp is considered as a champion</a>.
When the figure of a scholar is replaced by Kui Xing standing on the head of a dragon-carp, its meaning is merged as well. The figural scene is blessing you to be the top scholar in the examinations.
Related Pun Picture:
<a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/pun-pictures/you-will-certainly-come-out-first-in-the-imperial-examinations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">You will certainly come out first in the imperial examinations</a> 必定夺魁

When the God of Literature kicks an ink vessel, you are blessed to be the only one who can stand on the head of a dragon-carp.

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Pun Design ：
Writing brush + Ingot + <a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/figures-stories/god-of-literature/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kui Xing</a>
Punning Details：
-Writing brush 笔 bi is a pun on 必 bi meaning ‘certainly’ or ‘necessarily’;
-Ingot 锭ding is homophonous with 定 ding meaning ‘surely’ or ‘inevitably’;
&#8211; ‘kui’ refers to Kui Xing 魁星 who is believed to be the God of Literature. Kui Xing has been legendary for writing the names for the first successful candidates in the imperial examinations since the Song dynasty.
Therefore, the image of the God of Literature holding a writing brush in one hand and a gold or silver ingot in the other conveys a good wish for the examination sitters to be successful and achieving top marks.
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Related Symbol:
<a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/motifs-symbols/may-you-be-the-only-one-who-can-stand-on-the-head-of-a-dragon-carp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">May you be the only one who can stand on the head of a dragon-carp</a> 独占鳌头
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Related Figural Scene:
<a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/figures-stories/when-the-god-of-literature-kicks-an-ink-vessel-you-are-blessed-to-be-the-only-one-who-can-stand-on-the-head-of-a-dragon-carp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">When the God of Literature kicks an ink vessel, you are blessed to be the only one who can stand on the head of a dragon-carp.</a> 魁星踢斗,  独占鳌头

You will certainly come out first in the imperial examinations

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The term ‘Kui Xing’ originally referred to the North Star (北斗 Bei Dou). As stated in the Historical Records by Sima Qian (司马迁 145BCE – ?) , ‘Kui is the first star of the Great Dipper constellation’. Therefore, Kui also carries the meaning of being the first.
Gu Yanwu (顾炎武 1613–1682), a scholar in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, wrote in his book ‘Records of Daily-Gained Knowledge’ (日知录 Rizhilu):
“The origin of the worship of Kui Xing by people today is unknown. Kui 奎 was the master of Literature, and therefore temples were built to worship him. However, he could not be portrayed accurately, and thus was changed to a homophonous name of ‘Kui 魁’. But even this was not easy to portrait Kui, so the character Kui 魁 was split into 鬼 (meaning ghost, demon or spirit) and 斗 dou (a vessel for measurement, also a pun for the Dipper Bei Dou) so that the image of Kui can be illustrated by a spirit lifting one foot and supporting a dou vessel.”
Legend has it that the writing brush he was holding was used to write the names of successful candidates in the imperial examinations. Once their names were written, their literary and official careers were guaranteed to flourish. Therefore, during the imperial examination era, scholars regarded Kui Xing as a deity of their great fortune.
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Related Pun Picture:
<a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/pun-pictures/you-will-certainly-come-out-first-in-the-imperial-examinations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">You will certainly come out first in the imperial examinations</a> 必定夺魁
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Related Figural Scene:
<a data-internal-link="true" href="https://tutuhaoyi.com/figures-stories/when-the-god-of-literature-kicks-an-ink-vessel-you-are-blessed-to-be-the-only-one-who-can-stand-on-the-head-of-a-dragon-carp/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">When the God of Literature kicks an ink vessel, you are blessed to be the only one who can stand on the head of a dragon-carp. </a>魁星踢斗,  独占鳌头

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