The weather in Hangzhou next week

The legend of the white snake is a well-known myth and legend. China people are no strangers to the legend of White Snake. It is one of the four ancient folklores in China, and the popularity of the new legend of White Snake added fuel to the fire.

We don't need to say more about this legend. Everyone is familiar with it. In fact, the legend of the white snake mainly happened in Hangzhou and Zhenjiang. The Leifeng Pagoda to suppress the white snake is near the West Lake, and Xu Xian is also from Hangzhou, but Jinshan Temple is in Zhenjiang, Fahai is in Zhenjiang, and Xu Xian has been to Suzhou House, so the story connects the two places.

Although the legend of White Snake is a well-known legend, few people know that it is listed in the national intangible cultural heritage list, and the country has determined that the birthplace of White Snake is Zhenjiang, not Hangzhou. This reply is somewhat incomprehensible, but the reconnaissance apes are not fighting for this birthplace, and the reasons for this need to be explored.

Like other myths and legends, The Legend of the White Snake has many versions of legends. Cowherd and Weaver Girl, both of which are four major folk legends, have more legends in different versions, and these versions originated from different places. It is impossible to verify who was the earliest, but the context of the legend of the white snake is relatively clear, only circulating in Suzhou and Hangzhou.

The earliest birthplace of the white snake legend is indeed in Zhenjiang. This is recorded. The two most important protagonists in the legend, White Snake, Fahai, Xu Xian and Xiaoqing, are both in Zhenjiang. Fahai is a real person in history, a monk in the Tang Dynasty, with a common name of Pei Wende, the son of Pei Xiu in the Tang Dynasty. Zhenjiang Jinshan Temple was built in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and Pei Wende was the son of a famous figure.

According to Jinshan Temple, the young Pei Wende was ordered by his father to practice in Weishan, Hunan, because the prince was ill at that time. Pei Wende was actually praying for the prince to accumulate virtue, but he had an indissoluble bond with Buddhism. It was also during this period of practice that Pei Wende became a monk and fell at the feet of the Zen master, who gave him the title of Fahai and followed the Zen master Lingyou.

This may be the earliest legend of Fahai and White Snake, and the addition of Xu Xian makes this folk legend more exciting. The legend of the Tang Dynasty, the story of the white snake, is said to be one of the sources of the legend of the white snake, but only the white snake is related in that story, and other characters are different. The true story of the legend of White Snake was in the Southern Song Dynasty, when the Song Dynasty moved south. Since it exists, it must be a little different. Combining the legend of the sea white snake with the story of "The White Snake Makes Xu Xian" in the Northern Song Dynasty, the legend of the white snake gradually took shape, and the complete story is Feng Menglong's White Snake in Leifeng Tower Town in the Ming Dynasty, in which the white snake, Xiaoqing, Xu Xuan (immortal), Fahai and other characters all appeared. The end of this story is that the white snake is suppressed under the Leifeng Tower, and there is no plot to give birth.

Judging from the perfection of this legend, most of the plots took place in Hangzhou, and Fahai was only the host of Jinshan Temple. Whether the White Snake meets Xu Xian or the White Snake is finally suppressed, the plot is in Hangzhou, the Shuiman Jinshan Temple takes place in Zhenjiang, and both Hangzhou and Zhenjiang apply for the White Snake as an intangible cultural heritage. Zhenjiang was approved, and the reason for this was not noticed by the reconnaissance apes. We can only make one guess here. Hangzhou West Lake is so famous that it no longer needs intangible cultural heritage as propaganda capital, while Zhenjiang is not as famous as Hangzhou. The title of intangible heritage is very helpful to Zhenjiang, which is also the birthplace of legend. Perhaps it is given to Zhenjiang to help it develop tourism.

Putting it in Zhenjiang will not affect Hangzhou's position as the place where the legend of the White Snake took place, but also help Zhenjiang's tourism, killing two birds with one stone. In fact, friends don't have to worry about the real birthplace. After all, it is a myth, not a recorded history. These legends can increase the fun of our travel, which is enough.