Lastly, I would like to make a note about the title of my translation. The common translated title of the book is 'The Legend of the White Haired Maiden' (or as T.V serials and movies would translate in hopes of playing up the romance element: 'Romance of the White Haired Maiden¡' or 'The Bride with White Hair'). But I feel that none of these titles can truly capture the themes of the novel. Firstly, the title 'Legend of the White Haired Maiden' leaves out the word 'Mo' (demonic) which exists in the original Chinese title. This is particularly important as 'Bai Fa' is in large part a tragedy about the character Yu Luo Sha. It is important to recognize the stigmatism that she receives and to tease out the irony in such labels as 'good' and 'evil.' As Liang points out in his introductory poem: Who is really the demonic one? He asks the readers to judge for themselves. Therefore, in my translation, I've opted for the title
Legend of the White Haired Demoness in order to remain closer to the novel's original title and intent.