The story was selected as one of China's Four Great Folktales by the "Folklore Movement" in the 1920s—the others being the Legend of the White Snake (Baishezhuan), Lady Meng Jiang, and The Cowherd and the Weaving Maid (Niulang Zhinü).

[1][2] Six cities in China collaborated in 2004 on a formal application for the Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity[3] on the legend at UNESCO,[4] submitted in 2006 through the Chinese Ministry of Culture.

Although women are traditionally discouraged from taking up scholarly pursuits, Zhu manages to convince her father to allow her to attend classes in disguise as a man.

Before her departure, she reveals her true identity to the headmaster's wife and asks her to pass a jade pendant to Liang as a betrothal gift.

For example, she compares them to a pair of mandarin ducks (a symbol of lovers in Chinese culture), but Liang does not catch her hints and does not even have the slightest suspicion that his companion is a woman in disguise.

On the day of Zhu's marriage to Ma, strong winds prevent the wedding procession from escorting the bride beyond Liang's grave, which lies along the journey.

In Xuan Shizhi (宣室志), the author Zhang Du (張讀) wrote:[6] Yingtai, a daughter of the Zhu family of Shangyu, disguised herself as a man and attended school together with Liang Shanbo from Kuaiji.

Adjacent to the Yuyao River with a land area of 300 mu, the Liang-Zhu Cultural Park features multiple sceneries including "Becoming Sworn Brothers at Thatched Bridge", "Being Classmates for Three Years", "18 Miles of Send-off", "Farewell in the Tower", and "Reunion of Butterfly Lovers" according to the main line of the story Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai.

Located in Shaojiadu Village, Gaoqiao Town five miles west to Ningbo City, the Liang Shanbo Temple is built with a sitting statue of the couple, with Zhu Yingtai dressed in phoenix coronet and embroidered cape sitting on the right side of Liang Shanbo.

A white marble statue portraying Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, the two lovers who eventually turned into butterflies, was placed in the square in front of the Juliet Museum in central Verona during the festival.

[7][8] Filming by the Ministry of Culture and the East China Military and Political Commission took place in Zhu's legendary hometown of Shangyu.

Based on the romance, the Shaw Brothers Studio also produced The Love Eterne,[9][10] a film in Huangmei opera directed by Li Han-hsiang in 1962, starring Ivy Ling Po and Betty Loh Ti.

[12] The story has been adapted into Vietnamese Cai Luong a number of times, with its Sino-Vietnamese title Lương Sơn Bá – Chúc Anh Đài [vi] written by artist and songwriter The lea.

One of the Vietnamese adaptations published by Thuy Nga Productions starring Phi Nhung and Mạnh Quỳnh was cowritten by Viên Hoàng blending the original Vietnamese adaptation and extending the story by using some elements of the 2000 Taiwainese television series into the original story.

Lu Bingzhang a character from the Taiwanese series is also added to this adaptation renamed Lộ Phương played by Chí Linh.

Music, lyrics and script by Suruj Tipakora-Seni, directed by Victor Kriengsak Silakong, and choreographed by Manaschai Bunchung.

In 2022, a musical of the same name, loosely based on the legend was staged in Hong Kong's Shouson Theatre, directed and written by Marc Ngan and Amos Wong.

During the 1970s, Hong Kong television station TVB adapted the legend as a musical miniseries, with Roman Tam and Susanna Kwan supplying the vocals for the soundtrack composed by Joseph Koo.