the Legend of the White Snake, also known as Madame White Snake, is a Chinese legend which existed in oral tradition long before any written compilation. It has since been presented in a number of major Chinese operas, films and television series.
The earliest attempt to fictionalise the story in printed form appears to be The White Maiden Locked for Eternity in the Leifeng Pagoda in Feng Menglong's Stories to Caution the World, which was written during the Ming dynasty.
The story is now counted as one of China's Four Great Folktales, the others being Lady Meng Jiang, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, and The Cowherd and the Weaving Maid.
The book comes with Chinese characters and the Pinyin (phonetic transcriptions).
《白蛇传》是中国著名民间传说。与《孟姜女》、《牛郎织女》、《梁山伯与祝英台》并称为中国四大民间传说，又名《许仙与白娘子》。故事成于南宋或更早，在清代成熟盛行，是中国民间集体创作的典范。描述的是一个修炼成人形的白蛇精与凡人的曲折爱情故事。
据明末《警世通言》记载，传说南宋绍兴年间，有一千年修炼的蛇妖化作美丽女子叫白素贞，及其侍女青青（也称小青、青鱼、青蛇）在杭州西湖遇药店之王主管许宣（或名许仙）邂逅相遇，同舟避雨，一见钟情，白蛇逐生欲念，欲与书生缠绵，乃嫁与他。遂结为夫妻。婚后，经历诸多是非，白娘子屡现怪异，许不能堪。镇江金山寺高僧法海赠许一钵盂，令罩其妻。白、青被子罩后，显露原形，乃千年成道白蛇、青鱼。法海遂携钵盂，置雷寺峰前，令人于其上砌成七级宝塔，名曰雷峰，永镇白、青于塔中。
