The White Snake of Zhenjiang

In a famous and ancient Chinese romance, and snake named Bai Suzhen falls in love with a man named Xu Xian. To pursue him, she takes the form of a human female. Eventually, he falls for her, but he doesn't know her true identity. The two get married, but a meddlesome monk interferes. After all, he thinks the union between a snake and a human goes against all the laws of nature. Eventually, Fa Hai, the monk, is victorious, the two are separated, and Bai Suzhen is imprisoned in a pagoda. This a tragic story that has been told and retold for centuries. A few years ago, Jet Li starred in a Chinese 3D movie adaptation. He played the monk Fa Hai. 

This tale is situated in two main locations. A lot of story happens in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. Fa Hai comes from Zhenjiang, in Jiangsu. Both cities have major tourist attractions related to this tale. As for Zhenjiang, Fa Hai's old temple is open to the public. And it is a cheap cab ride from the city's central rail station. Here are some photos. 

While this is a temple entrance, it's not the entrance to the park surrounding it. And, going through there comes with buying a ticket. 

Once onto the temple grounds, a visitor comes to this wall with dragon's heads jutting out. People here are making wishes and trying to toss 1 RMB coins into the the dragon's mouth. If they can make the shot, their wish is supposed to come true. I did this and wished for romance. I failed miserably. 

Fa Hai's statue is behind glass in a small little cave up several flights of stars and near the pagoda atop the hill. People have found ways to get 0.10 RMB coins through the glass as part of their praying.

There is a separate statue dedicated to Bai Suzhen and a place to kneel while paying homage to her. And then, there is the most cheesiest of things.  Yes, they have a real write snake for everybody to look at. The reptile's cast-off skins are also on display. The snake mostly sleeps all the time. 

(Image Credits: Me, Myself, and I)