Jiang Shi Spirits from Chinese Culture

Ghost stories have been an important part of China’s culture for centuries. As shown from this 14th-century Yuan Dynasty tomb, beliefs about ghosts can be seen in the visual arts, as well as in written sources. One of the most prominent types of undead spirits were the “Jiang Shi,” which were zombie-like reanimated beings. The late 18th-century writer Ji Xiaolan lists the ways that a Jiang Shi could form, and one common way was through an improper burial. When a corpse somehow had the ability to garner enough energy, it would seek out living beings and try to suck out their life force, or qi. Typically shown wearing clothing from the Qing Dynasty, with greenish skin (suggesting, perhaps, mould), the Jiang Shi were thought to move by hopping. In fact, historical practices from Qing-era funerals (see second photo) come into play to explain this idea. Sometimes workers would die far from home, and the deceased family members would want to transport the bodies of their loved ones. The bodies would be strung up vertically hanging from poles, and would seem to bounce along the way. These zombies have similar counterparts called different names throughout Asia and Southeast Asia.