The name of Xu Xian in the Legend of White Snake has indeed been changed after it was passed down to the present. In the original work, it is recorded that Xu Xian’s original name was actually Xu Xuan, but due to the slow flow of history, or because of the ancient books The lack of Xu Xuan eventually led to Xu Xuan being called Xu Xian, but Zhengzhen's name was gradually forgotten by people.
In The Legend of White Snake, the male protagonist Xu Xian has a surname of Xu and a given name of Xian. Xu Xian’s character is in Chinese. Legend has it that Xu Xian was an apprentice in a medicine shop in Hangzhou. He was kind-hearted. He met the white snake and the green snake who had practiced for thousands of years and transformed into human forms in the rain, and they crossed over in the same boat.
In the middle period of the Republic of my country, Xu Xuan in many works began to be slowly spread as Xu Xian. Mr. Lu Xun said in "On the Fall of Leifeng Pagoda" written in 1924: "My grandmother often told me that the White Snake Empress was crushed under this tower! A man from Xu Xian rescued the two snakes. White Snake turned into a woman to repay her kindness and married Xu Xian..."
After the founding of our country, the very famous Peking Opera artist Zhang Junqiu, together with Kunqu opera artist Bai Yunsheng, performed "Leifeng Pagoda", "White Snake" Plays such as "With Xu Xian" have become his masterpieces. The movie "The Legend of White Snake" is even more famous. From then on, Xu Xian's fame surpassed that of "Xu Xuan". However, the name Xu Xian is actually more interesting than Xu Xuan. The changes that occur during evolution are a major feature of Chinese folk literature.
In fact, there is indeed a prototype of the character Xu Xian in the history of our country. Xu Xian was an apprentice in a pharmacy called Taihe Herbal Medicine. In addition, in history, Fahai and Bai Suzhen were both prototypes of their own missions. However, they lived in different eras, and the story of "The Legend of White Snake" did not happen around them.