Jiangshi
The Qing Dynasty brought many dynamic creations to light - they helped begin the printing production industry, legalism, and the Kangxi dictionary was created, along with some irreversible tragedy. One of my favorite things the Qing Dynasty in its centuries-long history brought to light is the dynamic and strange folklore of its people. My favorite of which is Jiangshi, also known as a hopping vampire. Jiangshi translates to ‘stiff corpse’ and this horrific creature haunts the annals of Qing Dynasty history.
Jiangshi are humanoid creatures, usually with the parlor of death and mottled flesh. Sometimes, they are said to have moss, dirt, mold, or other things typically found on the forest’s floor adorning their hair and body. They are said to have extremely long, lolling tongues and black, shark fingernails. Their clothing is that of a Qing Dynasty official and have a very rigid posture when not moving. Typically, they shuffle or hop along with their arms out in front of them. Their body typically looks like a decomposing corpse, although they never fully rot or come to ruin.
Some believe their strange, jerky movement comes from the traditionally tight clothing of the Qing dynasty. Others believe that this hopping movement served as an indicator of rigor mortis.
But where do Jiangshi come from? They are usually raised by necromancers, but they can occur naturally when the soul of a recently deceased person cannot leave their bodies. Sometimes this imprisonment of the soul occurs because of bad behavior in life.
Necromancers could raise Jiangshi to terrorize villages or instruct them to steal the life force of others. However, beyond that they didn’t seem very useful.
Like vampires in popular culture, Jiangshi also spend their days locked away from the sun. They can be found in a grave or coffin during the day, or in a dark cave or crevice. Once night falls, though, they begin hunting. They seek out humans to steal their qi, life force, to sustain and empower themselves.
Also similar to vampires in popular culture, there are many ways to escape and even kill a Jiangshi. First, you can distract them pretty easily. If they are near your path it is suggested that you throw some stones or other small objects away from you. Jiangshi are blind, so they will follow the noise. Even better, if you have a bag of rice or coins or other collection of small items, drop them on the ground - Jiangshi, like many evil creatures, will be forced to count each and every item before moving in for the kill. If you cannot distract them, try not to breathe or move as they pass you.
If you would like to go on the offensive, carry around a mirror. Seeing their reflection (and dealing with the purity of a mirror) will cause them to flee.
To stop a Jiangshi forever, simply obtain a Taoist talisman and stick it on the forehead of a Jiangshi. This will permanently immobilize them.
One of the reasons these creatures are my favorite is due to the book The Corpse Walker: Real Life Stories: China From the Bottom Up by Liao Yiwu, which covers the many men and women and their careers in Chinese society. One of these stories focuses on corpse walkers, also known as corpse drivers.
During the Qing Dynasty, migratory work began the norm. Sadly, the separation of families often prevented the laborers from returning to their ancestral home for a traditional, proper burial. Families, if they could afford it, would hire a corpse walker to bring their family member home. In order to maximize their profit, corpse walkers would often transport several at once. The deceased would be held by two bamboo poles, carried by the corpse walkers. As the bamboo flexed and the living men moved, the corpses had the strange appearance of hopping or walking by themselves. Because corpse walking was looked down upon (and in some cases towards the end of the Qing Dynasty, even illegal) it often occurred under the cover of night.
So, are the Jiangshi simply deceased family members making their way back to their ancestral homes? Or, should we really be carrying small mirrors and bags of beans in our back pockets...just in case.
The above image is a view inside the main hall of Zhijin Cave, one of the largest cave systems in China. It was taken by Wikimedia Commons User Esyimbro and is licensed under This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
