Xiaoqing (character)

Xiaoqing (Chinese: 小青), or Qingqing (Chinese: 青青), is a legendary Chinese folk heroine and main character in the "Legend of the White Snake", one of China's Four Great Folktales.[1] Xiaoqing is a green snake who transforms into a human being after five hundred years of disciplined training in Taoism.[2] Xiaoqing is the close confidant or sworn sister of the protagonist Bai Suzhen,[3] the white snake. Bai Suzhen often calls her "Qinger" or "Qingmei".

Image from the Summer Palace, Beijing, China, depicting the legend.

Xiaoqing's fate varies depending on the preference of the storyteller. In some versions, Xiaoqing and Bai Suzhen are fused together in the Leifeng Pagoda; in others, Xiaoqing marries Xu Xian (or a friend of his) and has a son, Xu Rulin. Sometimes it is said she never married, instead devoting herself to neidan, and in an even more extreme variation, she is portrayed as a treacherous antagonist who betrays Bai Suzhen. However, in almost all versions, Xiaoqing finally becomes a deity.[4][5]

The popular film Green Snake features Xiaoqing as the main character.[6] It is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Lilian Lee, published in 1993.[7]

Influence
Further information: List of media adaptations of the Legend of the White Snake
  • Exhibit in the Sichuan Provincial Museum.
  • Statues of Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing.
  • Picture on the long veranda in the Summer Palace, Beijing, China.
  • Statutes of the three protagonists in the Peking opera.

See also

References
  1. Shepard, Aaron (2001). Lady White Snake : a tale from Chinese opera = [Bai She Chuan]. Union City, CA: Pan Asian Publications. ISBN 9781572270725.
  2. Seal, Graham (2001). Encyclopedia of Folk Heroes. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-57607-216-5.
  3. "Unraveling the myths and charms of snakes". China Daily. 6 February 2013.
  4. Women in Chinese folktales (1st ed.). Beijing, China: Women of China. 1983. ISBN 9780835111720.
  5. 中國文化集刊. Chinese Cultural Research Institute. 1997.
  6. "The Green Snake hits Hong Kong". South China Morning Post. 19 March 2013.
  7. "Green Snake premieres in DC; an enchanting mystery". China Daily. 28 March 2014.
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