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Origins of Chinese Vampires
The Jiang Shi is the Chinese version of the vampire. In Chinese belief, each person has two souls, a superior or rational soul and an inferior irrational soul. The superior soul could leave a sleeping body and appear as the body's double as it roamed about. It could also possess and speak through the body of another. However, if something would happen to the disembodied soul during its journey, its body would suffer.
The inferior soul, on the other hand, was called p'ai or p'o and was that which inhabited the body of a fetus during pregnancy and often lingered in the bodies of the dead. It was thought to preserve the corpse. If the p'ai was strong enough, it could preserve and inhabit a corpse for a length of time, using the body to serve its needs. The body animated by the p'ai was called a Jiang Shi.
Usually Jiang Shi were created after a particularly violent death, such as a suicide, hanging, drowning, or smothering. It could also be a result of an improper burial, as it was thought that the dead would become restless if their burial was postponed after their death. The Jiang Shi were not known to rise from the grave, so their transformation had to take place prior to burial.
A supposed source of the jiang shi stories came from the folk practice of "Moving a Corpse over a Thousand Li", where traveling companions or family members who could not afford wagons or had very little money would hire Taoist priests to transport corpses who died far away from home by teaching them to hop on their own feet back to their hometown for proper burial. Taoist priests would transport the corpses only at night and would ring bells to notify other pedestrians of their presence because it was considered bad luck for a living person to set eyes upon a jiang shi. This practice was popular in Xiangxi where many people left their hometown to work elsewhere. After they died, their corpses were transported back to their rural hometown using long bamboo rods, believing they would be homesick if buried somewhere unfamiliar. When the bamboo flexed up and down, the corpses appeared to be hopping in unison from a distance. Once it was a myth.
Some people[speculate that the stories about jiang shi were originally made up by smugglers who disguised their illegal activities as corpse transportation and wanted to scare off law enforcement officers.
Characteristics of Jiang Shis
Jiang Shi were nocturnal creatures and had difficulties crossing running water. It was said that they were particularly vicious and ripped the head or limbs off their victims. They were also said to have a strong sexual drive which led them to attack and rape women. After a period of growing stronger, Jiang Shis would gain the ability to fly, grow long white hair, and possibly change into wolves.
Generally their appearance can range from unremarkable (as in the case of a recently deceased person) to horrifying (e.g. rotting flesh, rigor mortis, as with corpses that have been in a state of decay over a period of time). A peculiar feature is their greenish-white furry skin; one theory is that this is derived from fungus or mold growing on corpses. They are said to have long white hair all over their heads and they may be animals. The influence of Western vampire stories brought the blood-sucking aspect to the Chinese myth in more modern times in combination with the concept of the hungry ghost, though traditionally they act more like western zombies.
Protecting Oneself from Jiang Shis
People protected themselves from Jiang Shi by using garlic or salt. They were also driven away with loud noises, and it was thought that thunder could kill them. Brooms were used to sweep the creature back to its resting spot, while iron filings, rice, and red peas were used as barriers. If a Jiang Shi reached its flying, white-haired stage, it could only be killed by a bullet or thunder. Its body must then be cremated.
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