ക WhyAskWhy¿ (5) ~ Hopping Chinese Vampires 僵屍 jiāng shī

The Lunar 7th month aka the Hungry Ghost Month would stir up lots of taboos and scary stories. Ever Why*Ask*Why the Chinese vampires hop around with arms, hands and fingers raised at shoulder level? Oh me oh my could this be real or the movie makers fabricated the whole thing? In the movies you will see with a strike of the gong by the taoist priest the corpses will hop and strike two would hop another step only with the paper amulet 符咒[fúzhòu] in Mandarin, glued on the forehead, very often called "fish head" {hu dou} in Hokkien coz of the similarity in sound. The dead would be dressed in a special garment used by high ranking officials during the Qing Dynasty known as 'Longevity' clothes 壽衣 [shòu yì] which is still in 'fashion' for the dead until today. Check it out on the video below if you have not seen any hopping Chinese vampires  僵屍  [ jiāng shī ] before {rest assured not scary at all, trust me!} and then continue reading the second part to get a better picture..

Those ancient days 500 years ago the only means of common transport is by foot and horses were practically too expensive then. When someone passed on and away from their village, their corpse needs to be transported back home for the funeral ceremony and burial. The then 'courier' service for corpses had been in business already. In order to maximise the time, space and man power two person would be good enough to transport the corpses with the taoist priest chanting along. Two long strong bamboo poles are the only 'vehicle' required. With the corpses cleanly washed and thereafter dressed in longevity clothes, the corpse's two arms will be tied securely at shoulder level onto the two bamboo poles which are placed below the armpits to support the corpse. [For illustration kindly refer to the pix for an example of 3 vampires tied on to 2 bamboo poles, viewing from top elevation]. Once done the two courier men, one at the front and the other at the back of the two bamboo poles with a few corpses in the middle would be ready to move on. When they begin their journey there will be a harmonic bouncing motion due to the flexibility of the two bamboo poles thus from afar it seems like the vampires are hopping in the night. Of course the movie maker would add salt and pepper to spice up the scene with the power of the priest who can control those vampires with just a bell and amulets and etc.

So could this be true and will the theory of bamboo poles story making the corpses hop like ghosts hold water or just another hearsay or moviemaker's fantasy? Would leave it entirely up to you.. Bananaஇ'z Beleaf It Or Not!

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