Full coverage: G20 Hangzhou Summit

The "Legend of the White Snake" is perhaps one of the most well-known folk-tales in China. The bitter-sweet love story centers around a snake spirit named Bai Suzhen, and her mortal lover Xu Xian. Their relationship might be hampered by the laws of nature, but that's precisely why their love story is so enduring.

The story takes place at the "Broken Bridge" near Hangzhou city's West Lake, where Xu Xian lends his umbrella to Bai Suzhen, also known as the White Snake spirit.

And that's where they fall in love.

However, their relationship is opposed by Fahai, a Buddhist monk, who insists that the co-existence of human and spirit is unacceptable. He tries to separate the two by imprisoning Xu Xian in Jinshan Temple, and then suppressing Bai Suzhen under Leifeng Pagoda at the bank of West Lake.

The lovers continually fight to be together. And decades later, the pagoda collapses. Bai Suzhen is set free and finally reunites with her family, while Fahai flees.

All of this take place in Hangzhou, and especially at the iconic West Lake. Till today, visitors still recall the folk-tale as they admire the scenic spot. What's more, the folk tale mentions plenty of traditional Chinese customs, making it both a literary and cultural treasure.

The tale has been handed down from generation to generation through story-telling. But it is also now immortalised through other literary forms like opera, dance, films and even children's cartoons. This expanding influence of this classic will definitely spill from China to all over the world.