Jiangshi – Terrifying Ancient Chinese Vampire In Disguise

A. Sutherland – MessageToEagle.com – Powerful legends about Jiangshi, a truly terrifying creature, have long inspired a genre of literature and films especially in Hong Kong and East Asia.

Typically, the Jiangshi is depicted as a stiff corpse dressed in the official garments of the Qing dynasty (1644–1912), the last great dynastic empire to rule the region, with many powerful and long-lived rulers.

According to Chinese legends and folklore, Jiangshi – (‘jiang’ means hard) is a reanimated corpse that kills living creatures to absorb their ‘qi’ ‘life force’.

Jiangshi lore is very ancient and the creature’s existence was taken very seriously by scholars in ancient China who speculated on how jiangshi were created.

The Jiangshi is so stiff that it cannot bend its limbs and body, so it moves by hopping, with its arms always outstretched, seeking out living creatures at night and by devouring their life force, the Jiangshi is able to survive.

The Jiangshi wear a uniform coat-like robe and round, traditional mandarin hat; they cannot speak, has pale skin, furry green hair, long claw-like fingernails and an extremely long tongue.

The Jiangshi has not been traditionally equated with the zombie, but rather with a vampire.

During the day, the Jiangshi rests in either a coffin or hides in a dark, chilly cave.

According to one Qing Dynasty scholar, Ji Xiaolan (1724–1805), Jiangshi creatures can be divided into two groups: an old corpse that hasn’t decomposed or a freshly dead body returning to life.

When Jiangshi’s corpse is of recently deceased, the creature’s appearance looks almost like a normal human.

Others, who have been decomposing for some time, have rotting flesh hanging off their yellowing bones.

Jiangshi lore is very ancient and the creature’s existence was taken very seriously by scholars in ancient China who speculated on how jiangshi were created.

In the meantime, ancient Chinese deeply believed in dangerous encounters with a Jiangshi and tried to protect their homes.

Slats of wood 6 inches high were built under doors in the strange belief that these would keep out hopping zombies. To keep a Jiangshi in place, a slip of yellow paper with a spell written on it was also stuck on the corpses.

But the best way to get rid of this terrifying creature was to ask a Taoist priest for help. He was the only one who could balance their life and death with dark and light.

Written by – A. Sutherland  – MessageToEagle.com Senior Staff Writer

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