Meeting at the Broken Bridge
Bai Suzhen had cultivated on Mount Emei for a thousand years. Guided by Guanyin, she descended with her maid Xiao Qing to find her savior from a previous life. At the Broken Bridge over West Lake, in spring rain, she met young Xu Xian. He offered her an umbrella — and a thousand years of cultivation found its destination.
The Apothecary of Benevolence
Bai Suzhen and Xu Xian married and opened an apothecary by West Lake. She used her spiritual powers to heal the sick, beloved by all. Xu Xian knew only that his wife was kind, unaware of her true nature.
The monk Fahai of Jinshan Temple saw through her disguise. On the Dragon Boat Festival, he made Xu Xian offer her realgar wine. She transformed into a serpent; Xu Xian died of fright.
The Sacred Herb & the Flood of Golden Mountain
To save Xu Xian, Bai Suzhen stole the Lingzhi mushroom from Kunlun, battling its guardians. The herb revived him, but Fahai imprisoned Xu Xian in Jinshan Temple.
Pregnant, Bai Suzhen summoned the Eastern Sea to flood Jinshan Temple. Amid towering waves, she battled Fahai — love versus the rules of heaven.
Under Leifeng Pagoda
Fahai trapped her in his golden bowl and imprisoned her beneath Leifeng Pagoda. There she gave birth to their son, Xu Shilin.
Legend says that when Xu Shilin grew up and became the top scholar, he knelt before the pagoda — and it crumbled. Bai Suzhen was free. True love triumphs over all.
— Folk tradition
An Eternal West Lake Love
One of China's Four Great Folk Tales — and one of the most adapted stories in Chinese culture, from opera to modern film and animation.
In 2011, Leifeng Pagoda excavations revived the legend. Today, the Broken Bridge and pagoda are Hangzhou's most popular landmarks — a thousand-year legend of love and courage.