The first chapter of Romance of the Three Kingdoms skillfully juxtaposes two stories about “emperors and serpents”: one is the legend of the founding emperor, Liu Bang of the Han Dynasty, slaying a white serpent to rise in rebellion, and the other is the omen of the last emperor, Emperor Ling of Han, fainting in terror at the sight of a large green serpent.
These two snake stories are not coincidental but are carefully designed literary contrasts by the novel author Luo Guanzhong, carrying profound symbolic meaning and narrative function. They reflect the core theme of the transfer of heavenly mandate and the rise and fall of dynasties.
The White Serpent: Emperor Liu Bang’s Legend
As recorded by Sima Qian in Records of the Grand Historian, during the late Qin Dynasty, Liu Bang served as a low-ranking official in charge of escorting laborers to Mount Li for Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s tomb construction. When some laborers fled in route, Liu Bang, knowing he would be executed for dereliction of duty, so he released them all. Some laborers, moved by his benevolence, chose to follow him.
One night, a scout returned to report: “A giant serpent blocks the path ahead. We should detour.” Liu Bang proclaimed, “A true warrior fears nothing!” He drew his sword, split the serpent in two, and pressed onward.
Later, the group encountered an old woman weeping at the site. She explained: “My son, the White Emperor’s offspring, transformed into a serpent, was slain by the Red Emperor’s heir.” Before the crowd could scold her, she vanished.
This tale symbolizes Liu Bang severing Qin’s rule and establishing the Han dynasty. His humble origins necessitated “divine mandate” to legitimize his rebellion and kingship, bolstering his political appeal.
The Green Serpent: Emperor Liu Hong’s Omen
Emperor Ling Liu Hong, the Han dynasty’s last ruler, witnessed a colossal green serpent descending from a beam and coiling around his throne—a sign of cosmic disorder and imperial erosion. Unlike the white serpent, it “suddenly vanished,” implying the Han’s exhausted fortune. Liu Hong’s panic revealed his incompetence; he relied on eunuchs, foreshadowing the dynasty’s collapse. The ensuing Yellow Turban Rebellion(Yellow Scarves Uprising), eunuch corruption, and Dong Zhuo’s invasion plunged the empire into chaos.
The white and green serpents, paired with founding and collapsing emperors, form a dramatic “prologue and epilogue,” reinforcing the novel’s historical gravity and cyclical fate.
Leave a Reply