Traditional Legend

The Butterfly Lovers

The Butterfly Lovers or Liang Zhu is a Chinese legend about the tragic romance between two lovers, Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, from whom the name of the legend is known in Chinese (梁山伯與祝英台, pinyin: Liáng Shānbó yǔ Zhù Yīngtái, often abbreviated as "梁祝", Liáng-Zhù). The legend is sometimes regarded as the Chinese equivalent to Romeo and Juliet.

Six cities within thePeople's Republis of China (PRC) have collaborated since 2004 on a formal application for the Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on the legend at UNESCO, submitted in 2006 through the Chinese Ministry of Culture.