The Legend of the White Snake renewed in a ballet by dance superstar Tan YuanYuan

The production unfolds across parallel dimensions: in the dream world, the monk suppresses the Green Snake’s power; in reality, the husband and the psychologist attempt to cure the wife of her visions against her will. The White Snake and the Green Snake exist as two sides of the same coin, their conflict and eventual synthesis reflecting the internal struggles, choices and personal growth of modern women. “The Green Snake represents the wife’s untamed id in search of her true self,” explains Zhou Ke, the director of Lady White Snake.

“This contemporary version’s storytelling is even more complex than the original,” Tan tells Tatler ahead of the Hong Kong premiere. “But it would be meaningless to simply stage another traditional version.” She selected The Legend of the White Snake precisely because she recognised the enduring modernity of its themes. “We needed a story that allows contemporary society to understand the inner world of women, which is why we chose this tale. From there, we made numerous adjustments, introducing a time-travel element. While our plot is relatively intricate, audiences can easily connect with it—even international theatregoers at the David H Koch Theater in New York absolutely loved this story.”

The artistic director notes that she drew deep inspiration from both her personal life and the collective experiences of her creative team. “We’ve all been there, done that in terms of exploring our identities as modern women. Bringing that raw reality to the stage for our audience has been a deeply interesting process.”

Tan clarifies, however, that the production should not be pigeonholed strictly as a feminist piece. Lady White Snake opens with the wife looking disoriented inside an abstract supermarket, surrounded by crowds rushing past with shopping trollies. The trollies eventually vanish, replaced by digital projections of sharp lines and angular geometric shapes that create the illusion of a cage—a visual nod, Tan explains, to the Leifeng Pagoda of the original legend.

“Another major issue I believe the contemporary world faces today is materialism. We easily lose ourselves in this abundant, plentiful world. Through the Green Snake, who struggles to break free from the Leifeng Pagoda, and the White Snake, who discovers her true desires within the dream, I want to invite the audience—regardless of their age, gender, or background—to join us on this journey of self-definition.”

Since its 2022 debut at the Shanghai Grand Theatre, Lady White Snake enjoyed a successful rerun in Shanghai in 2025 before travelling to Lincoln Center in New York City later that year, earning critical acclaim in both cities. A significant part of its appeal lies in the fluid integration of ballet, classical Chinese dance, martial arts and contemporary movement—a hybrid style that unites audiences across cultural divides. “The combination of these genres is actually a synthesis of Eastern and Western aesthetics,” Tan says. “I want to show the world that we can express Chinese cultural elements through a Western art form, and vice versa. It is a wonderful process of mutual learning.”

She hopes this project marks the beginning of many future productions dedicated to fostering cross-cultural dialogue. “With Lady White Snake, I am thrilled that our own Chinese stories are finding a place on the international stage,” she says. “The entire cast has worked incredibly hard to articulate this narrative through the language of the body. Whether on overseas stages or at occasions like the Chinese Culture Festival, my hope is that we can continue to tell our stories beautifully.”

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