No White Snake Under Leifeng Pagoda

     For the common people, the Legend of the White Snake, after becoming a myth, seems to have developed an inseparable connection with West Lake and Leifeng Pagoda. But things in this world are often like this: when it's widely circulated and believed to be true, it's suddenly proven to be completely fictitious. This is a deception, or even a form of harm, to the public. Because what they've passed down through generations, what they've invested their emotions in, turns out to be an illusion. It's like raising a child with great care, only to discover they aren't your own, or like a parent outliving their child.

    Leifeng Pagoda is such an example. Because historical records show almost no connection between Leifeng Pagoda and the "White Snake." Leifeng Pagoda, also known as Xiguan Brick Pagoda, was originally called "Imperial Concubine Pagoda" because it was built after a royal concubine gave birth to a son. Later, it was renamed "Leifeng Pagoda" because of the location of Leifeng.

    The Wuyue Kingdom was one of the ten kingdoms during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period at the end of the Tang Dynasty and the beginning of the Song Dynasty, founded by Qian Liu from Lin'an, Zhejiang. During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, the north and south were divided, and the Central Plains in the north were once again embroiled in war, leading to strict restrictions on Buddhism. In 955 AD, Emperor Shizong of the Later Zhou Dynasty suppressed Buddhism, abolishing temples not officially recognized by the state and confiscating all bronze Buddha statues held by the people. This further weakened the already struggling Buddhism in the north. Meanwhile, the south was relatively stable, and the rulers of some states, especially the Wuyue Kingdom, were enthusiastic about Buddhism. Successive Wuyue kings protected their territory and people, and followed the calendar of the Central Plains dynasties. Under these circumstances, Buddhism flourished in Wuyue. The last king, Qian Chu, extensively cultivated Buddhist fields and built countless pagodas. The Liuhe Pagoda on the banks of the Qiantang River is said to have been built to suppress the rampant tidal bore of the Qiantang River. The Leifeng Pagoda was built to enshrine a "Buddha's hair bun."

    In 1120, during the second year of the Xuanhe reign of the Song Dynasty, Leifeng Pagoda suffered severe damage from war. It was rebuilt during the Qingyuan reign of the Southern Song Dynasty (1195-1200). Wen Qixiang, a renowned scholar from Hangzhou in the late Ming Dynasty, compared it to Baochu Pagoda on the opposite shore of the lake, saying, "Two pagodas on the lake, Leifeng like an old monk, Baochu like a beautiful woman." In 1924, due to years of disrepair, the brick pagoda finally collapsed, revealing a hidden scroll of the *Sarvatathāgata-hṛdaya-guhya-dhātu-raṇī-sūtra* within some of the bricks. The scenic view of "Leifeng Pagoda at Sunset" thus became a thing of the past. The collapse of Leifeng Pagoda attracted widespread attention and discussion, and people from all walks of life longed for its reconstruction.

    In 2002, the Zhejiang Provincial Government and the Hangzhou Municipal Government, responding to public opinion, rebuilt Leifeng Pagoda. Before its construction, archaeological experts cleared and excavated the pagoda's foundation site. Over a year of work, they discovered more than a thousand artifacts, including many of significant academic value, such as fragments of the "Qingyuan Reconstruction Record" stele and stone carvings depicting the Imperial Concubine's Pagoda. As the excavation progressed, much important information was clarified, such as the pagoda's architectural structure, construction date, and the processes of repair and damage.

    However, the most intriguing question remained: what lay beneath the Leifeng Pagoda? During the clearing process, experts unexpectedly discovered the Leifeng Pagoda's underground palace. Underground palaces are a product of the integration of Buddhism with traditional Chinese funerary customs after its introduction to China. As an important component of pagodas, underground palaces are generally located directly beneath the pagoda's foundation, used to bury Buddha relics or store important Buddhist statues, ritual implements, and donations from patrons. The Leifeng Pagoda's underground palace was built during the first construction of the pagoda in the Wuyue Kingdom. It was sealed at the beginning of construction in 972 and had not been opened since. In mid-March 2001, the underground palace, located approximately three meters below the central chamber of the pagoda's foundation, was officially opened. The underground palace opens upwards, a single-chamber well-like structure, approximately 1.7 meters long and wide, and 1 meter deep. Inside is an iron box, beneath which lie thousands of various copper coins, beads, jade ornaments, scriptures, and other offerings. Some of the artifacts are of extremely high quality, representing the craftsmanship of gold, silver, and jade artifacts from the Wuyue Kingdom during the Five Dynasties period

    . The gold coffin with "Buddha's hair" and the pure silver gilt Ashoka stupa contained within the iron box are particularly precious. It turns out that what lies beneath Leifeng Pagoda is not the White Snake, but Buddhist treasures sealed for over a thousand years. Bai Suzhen, Xu Xian, Xiaoqing, Fahai, West Lake, Broken Bridge, and Jinshan Temple are no longer connected. Thus, the legend remains a legend, and the scenery remains scenery. This conclusion, derived from historical facts, may be reliable, but it seems difficult for the public to accept. West Lake, without the embellishment of the love story of Bai Suzhen and Xu Xian, becomes somewhat less charming.

    But what about the legend of the White Snake? The earliest prototype of the Legend of the White Snake appears in the Tang Dynasty writer Gu Shenzi's *Bowuzhi*. The story tells of a man named Li Huang from Longxi who encounters a widowed woman in white, exceptionally beautiful, in the East Market of Chang'an. The woman, whose mourning period is over, wants to buy auspicious clothing. Li Huang lends her money, and the woman invites him to her home to collect it. Upon arrival, Li Huang is invited to stay for a while. An elderly woman in green, claiming to be the white-clad woman's aunt, makes a deal with Li: if he can repay the white-clad woman's debt of thirty thousand coins, she will serve him. Li agrees and stays with her for three days before returning home. Upon returning, he feels a foul odor, dizziness, and is bedridden. "Though he speaks, he feels his body gradually disappearing under the covers. He lifts the covers and finds only water inside, with only his head remaining." His family is terrified and rushes to find the white-clad woman, but she has vanished. Fifteen thousand coins are found hanging on each tree. Neighbors say they often see a giant white snake entering and leaving the tree.

    By the Song and Yuan dynasties, the story of the White Snake had changed: 1. In terms of content, the Song and Yuan vernacular story "The Tale of the Three Pagodas of West Lake" tells of how, during the Chunxi era of Emperor Xiaozong of Song, Xi Xuanzan, the son of an official in Lin'an Prefecture, went to West Lake during the Qingming Festival. On the way, he encountered a lost girl named Mao Nu and took her home. Several days later, an old woman came to Xi's house looking for Mao Nu and invited Xi Xuanzan to her home to express her gratitude. Xi Xuanzan accepted the invitation and went to her house. The old woman brought a woman in white to drink with Xi and stay for half a month. Later, the woman grew tired of Xi and wanted to kill him, but Mao Nu saved her. After returning home, Xi moved his family to avoid disaster. Unexpectedly, the following Qingming Festival, Xi Xuanzan was again abducted by the old woman and taken to the home of a woman in white. Half a month later, the woman in white wanted to kill Xi again, but Mao Nu saved him again. Xi's uncle, the Taoist priest Xi Zhenren, learned of this and performed a ritual to subdue the three demons. After they were revealed, it was discovered that the old woman was an otter, Mao Nu was a crow, and the woman in white was a white snake. The Legend of the White Snake at this point differed from its predecessors. A grateful servant named Mao Nu was added to the plot, and the ending also changed. Li Huang ultimately died from the White Snake's demonic energy, while Xi Xuanzan was not poisoned, and a Taoist priest performed a ritual to subdue the demon, returning it to its original form. Secondly, the protagonist's name changed; in the previous version, he was called Li Huang, but here he is called Xi Xuanzan. Furthermore, the characters' identities became clearer: Xi Xuanzan was the son of an official, while it's unclear whether Li Huang was an official or a merchant. Additionally, the story's setting shifted from Chang'an to Lin'an Prefecture, getting closer to West Lake.

    During the Tianqi era of the Ming Dynasty, the story of the White Snake in Feng Menglong's *Stories to Awaken the World*, specifically the episode "The White Snake Lady Forever Imprisoned in Leifeng Pagoda," underwent a significant change. The novel tells the story of Xu Xuan, the brother-in-law of Li Ren, an official in the Southern Song Dynasty's Shaoxing era, who was managing a pharmacy. One day, returning from ancestral worship, he encountered a woman on a ferry in the rain who claimed to be the sister of Bai Dianzhi, a high-ranking official, and the widow of Zhang. After exchanging umbrellas, the woman wanted to marry Xu Xuan and had her maid, Xiaoqing, give him ten taels of silver. Two, unaware that this silver belonged to the government treasury, was discovered, and Xu Xuan was exiled to Suzhou. There, he met and married Bai Suzhen. Later, Bai Suzhen's theft implicated Xu Xuan, and he was exiled again to Zhenjiang. Xu Xuan and Bai Suzhen reunited in Zhenjiang, but Fahai interfered, detaining Xu Xuan and preventing Bai Suzhen from reclaiming her husband. Upon learning that Bai Suzhen was a snake demon, Xu Xuan was terrified and begged Fahai to take him as a disciple. After successfully cultivating, Xu Xuan built a pagoda to suppress Bai Suzhen, left behind warnings, and then passed away. At this point, the basic framework of the later Legend of the White Snake story emerged. Compared to the earlier version, the story's theme changed. Here, Bai Suzhen is portrayed as a woman loyal to love and worthy of sympathy; she is no longer a harmful demon. She embodies the gentle virtues of a wife, a woman with a snake's body but a human heart. Her demonic nature is greatly diminished; she helps people instead of harming them. Xu Xuan, however, is despicable, cowardly, and utterly devoid of character. Although Xu Xuan's image remains negative compared to his previous life, he is now even more despicable. In his previous life, Li Huang and Xi Xuanzan could resent the woman in white because she was harmful, but Xu Xuan cannot; the White Snake is a good girl. Secondly, the story's content has changed. Now, Xu Xuan personally performs magic to build a pagoda to suppress the White Snake, whereas in his previous life, a Taoist priest simply used magic to return the white snake to its original form. A second protagonist—the maid Xiaoqing—also appears. The character Fahai is also created. In short, the basic characters of the Legend of the White Snake have appeared. Finally, the details have changed even further. Names: Li Huang—Xi Xuanzan—Xu Xuan. Identity: Unclear—son of an official—pharmacy manager. Meeting route: Returning money—Returning the person—Returning the umbrella. Place names: Chang'an—Lin'an Prefecture—West Lake.

    Chen Yuqian's *Illustrated Tale of the Righteous Demon*, written during the Jiaqing era, supplemented *The White Snake Lady Forever Imprisoned in Leifeng Pagoda*. The general plot remained largely unchanged, but more characterization and sympathy for the White Snake Lady were added. This resulted in the inclusion of scenes such as the Dragon Boat Festival, the Water Battle, and the Broken Bridge, making the White Snake Lady's image more complete and moving. At this point, the White Snake Lady finally had her own name: Bai Suzhen.

    In fact, later variations on the White Snake Legend are largely reflected in the ending. In *Illustrated Tale of the Righteous Demon*, the White Snake Lady is imprisoned in Leifeng Pagoda by Fahai, and Xu Xian becomes a monk as a result. Twenty years later, Bai's son, Xu Mengjiao, becomes the top scholar in the imperial examination and returns home in glory to pay respects to his mother. Thus, Bai Suzhen is released from the pagoda, and the family is reunited. At this point, Xu Xian still retains some humanity. The ending is a happy one. However, in Tian's *Legend of the White Snake*, the ending is that Xiaoqing cultivates into the Green Snake Immortal and breaks the pagoda to save the people.

    In the folk tale of the White Snake from West Lake, the resistance is stronger and more exhilarating. In the end, Xiaoqing diligently cultivates her skills, finally breaking through the pagoda to rescue Bai Suzhen. Together, they defeat the meddlesome monk Fahai, forcing him to flee into a crab shell, becoming the Crab Shell Monk. These variations have their reasons. Each era has its own folk literature, and historical development, changes in the times, and differences in natural and social environments have all led to varying degrees of additions and deletions to the White Snake legend. Furthermore, individual memory biases and differences in individual psychological mechanisms have caused even more significant changes in the creation of the White Snake legend. In the evolution of the White Snake legend, we can see that the White Snake was initially a harmful snake demon, a typical beautiful snake, while the male protagonist was a secondary character, someone who "died under the peony flower, even as a ghost, he was still romantic," with little significant meaning. As people's cultural level and humanistic awareness have continuously improved, the original image of the beautiful snake has been transformed into that of Bai Suzhen, a beautiful and affectionate woman embodying many human virtues. She is no longer seen as a villainous demon, but rather as a strong and compassionate young woman who "envies only the love of a mandarin duck, not the immortals."

    Leifeng Pagoda was built by King Qian Chu of Wuyue, and has absolutely no connection to Fahai. The Legend of the White Snake, starting with the Tang Dynasty writers, underwent continuous revision and refinement, resulting in the beautiful and grand story we see today. However, history becomes history a thousand years later, and the story becomes just a story! Ultimately, Leifeng Pagoda disappointed the world, because beneath it lies "Buddha's hair in a spiral bun," not the White Snake!