Long ago in China, when the world was new, there lived a white snake. She called the banks of the West Lake in Hangzhou her home and from there she would watch the humans, longing to be one of them. The snake was kind and did many good deeds in the hopes that someday she would be able to take on human form and live amongst the people. One day the white snake met a turtle. This turtle was hateful and cold. There temperaments clashed and they had a fierce battle. The turtle was defeated and ran away disappearing into the hills.
After a millennium of training in the Taoism mystical arts, the white snake was finally able to achieve her dream. She transformed into a beautiful woman. To accompany her in her new adventures, she also transformed a younger green snake into a woman. These two snakes were as close as sisters. The white snake took the name of Bai Suzhen, while the green snake took the name of Xiao Qing. Eager to experience life as humans, the two watched the festivities of Qingming (Ancestors' Day) by the shore of the West Lake. They watched in delight until rain began to fall where they then took shelter under a large willow tree. The rain became a heavy downpour and the pair huddled together with dampened spirits. A young handsome man walking along the path saw them and offered room under his umbrella while they waited out the storm.
The young man’s name was Xu Xian. Bai Suzhen and Xu Xian smiled at each other under the umbrella. When the rain subsided, all three shared a boat ride as they headed home towards the other side of the lake. When they reached the dock, Xu Xian insisted the ladies keep his umbrella incase the rain would return while they walked home. Xiao Qing knew Bai Suzhen was smitten with Xu Xian so she quickly accepted his offer with a promise to return it the following day.
The next morning when the ladies arrived at Xu Xian’s house, he told them he was a poor man with no family and that he worked at a medicine shop for a living. Bai Suzhen admired his honesty and kindness; she did not care that he was poor. Xu Xian and Bai Suzhen got to know each other more over time and fell in love. They got married the next year and moved to the city of Zhenjiang where they opened their own medicine shop. Bai Suzhen used her powers to cure patients from all kinds of ailments and became quite famous for it. The people of Zhenjiang called her “Madam White”.
