What was the true origin of the Legend of the White Snake?

Answer 1

The real prototype of the Legend of the White Snake was the legendary novel Song of Everlasting Sorrow of the Tang Dynasty. Song of Everlasting Sorrow was a long narrative poem written by Bai Juyi, a novelist of the Tang Dynasty. It described the love story between Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and Yang Guifei. The story of the white snake and Xu Xian became the prototype of the Legend of the White Snake. However, there were also many works in the fields of literature, opera, and movies that were based on the Legend of the White Snake, including the modern online novel, The Legend of the White Snake.