[COMMA] Postscript: Fahai

Postscript: Fahai serves as a contemporary addition to the Legend of the White Snake, a romantic Chinese folktale about a demon white snake falling in love with a mortal. Fahai serves as the antagonist of the story separating the star crossed lovers. However, before this romantic adaptation, the tale originated as a horror fable establishing Fahai as a convenient plot device to end the evil deeds of the White Snake.

The performance takes the form of a ritual attempting to embody the spirit of the fictional character into a rattan cane. This act draws a parallel to how the perception of the cane has evolved over history—shifting from a common tool for discipline in domestic, school, and judicial settings, to an object whose household use is declining even as its institutional use is upheld.

By observing the ritual, viewers are invited to reflect on the shifting cultural relevance of disciplinary tools.