In western, vampires are commonly used as a main element in horror films. A very famous example is Dracula, which originally was a literature, first filmed in 1931.
But do you know that Chinese horror films also have vampires and zombies?
We called them 'Jiangshi', it usually appeared in Chinese legends and folklore. They are the dead bodies of famous person in China. They are created when a person's soul fails to leave the body, usually due to an improper death, such as an act of suicide.
At night, it moves around by hopping, with its arms outstretched. It kills human by absorbing people's life essence.
Why is it hopping with arms outstretched?
Jiangshi is so stiff that that it cannot bend its limbs and body, so it has to move around by hopping while keeping its arms stretched out for mobility
Outlook of a Jiangshi
They usually wear traditional Chinese clothing from Qing dynasty, which are called 'changshan', meaning long clothes. The style of the costume was wore by people who worked for the loyal family.
Items used to counter a Jiangshi
1) mirrors- It was said that Jiangshis are afraid of their own reflection, therefore when a mirror is held close to them, they will be defeated.
2) Fu (i.e. magical paper)- It was said that these 'Fu' contented some magical power, once they were sticked on the head of a Jiangshi, they will lose their conscious and stop them chasing after human.
Taoist priests are person that can counter a Jiangshi.In the movie 'Mr.Vampire', the Taoist priest tack a 'Fu' to the body's forehead, which would enable the body to find its way back to its original home for proper burial by hopping. To prevent attack from Jiangshis, priest usually wear a headdress that has a veil covering his face; this way, the Jiang-Shi he is transporting would travel alongside them without the temptation to devour the priest.
This video below shows some scenes from 'Mr.Vampire' :D
In the next post, we will compare the English film 'Blood and Bone China' with the Chinese horror films :)
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiang_Shi
http://tw.meetgee.com/Files/Topic/20110722/0687f506e27643358b669e8aff6a1e38.png
http://img25.elex-tech.org/10000/2011/1206/1e/0/45196/180x145x75x0.png
http://info.wenweipo.com/attachments/2010/12/29172_201012111350201rMRL.jpg
http://blog.boxun.com/hero/200803/yanxinwenji/yanxinwenji20080310101671.jpg
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