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Myths about Suzhou

Explore myths connected by the recurring theme of Suzhou across cultures, characters, and sacred places.

1 myth currently featured for Suzhou.

Bai Suzhen Inadvertently Scaring Xu Xian to Death by Revealing Her True Snake Form

🐉 Chinese MythologySuzhou, Jiangsu, ChinaBai Suzhen • Xu Xian • Xiaoqing

During the Dragon Boat Festival in Suzhou, the white snake spirit Bai Suzhen is pressured by her husband Xu Xian into drinking Realgar wine, which weakens her human disguise. As she rests, she involuntarily reverts to her true form as a giant white serpent, and when Xu Xian discovers her in the bedroom, the shock is so great that his heart fails and he dies instantly. This tragic event leads...