The Legend of Lady White Snake

Tal
 November 07, 2010, 01:17 AM posted in General Discussion

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a simple version of the classic tale, which may suit intermediate learners. (I've been working on it for simply ages, trying to get the formatting and the translation right. Google docs is no longer viable, so I've been experimenting with a competitor. Feedback, comments and/or corrections would be welcome.)

This story is universally known in China, and all over Asia I think. It is strange and beautiful. A female snake spirit takes on human form and falls in love with a mortal man. The ending is tragic. What does the story tell us? I would love to hear the ideas of others, especially Chinese friends.

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sebire
 November 07, 2010, 11:35 AM

I think I watched some Taiwanese drama of this back in the early 90s. I remember being slightly obsessed with it on a trip to Singapore, and my aunt posted us some VHS recordings of the end as I had to go back home before it finished! I don't think I understood a word of it, because I was too young to be able to read the English subtitles. I think I just liked the magic.

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Tal
 November 10, 2010, 01:02 AM

I've just come across a longer and more detailed version of the story online here. This version is adapted from the 京剧 version of the story.

The page where I found the link seems to be a useful resource.

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bababardwan
 November 10, 2010, 04:11 AM

Thanks tal. The formatting looks spot on. I like the larger font for the hanzi, and that you've stuck to hiding the translation till we're ready to be enlightened by you. Nice to have a vocab list and looks like you've chosen an interesting tale with a nice pic to pique our interest. I hope this group continues to thrive because it is a very digestible size and you've made it very accessible. Thanks for your hard work mate :)