   a jiangshi, also known as a chinese "hopping" vampire or zombie, is a type of reanimated corpse in chinese legends and folklore. "jiangshi" is read geong-si in cantonese, cÆ°Æ¡ng thi in vietnamese, gangshi in korean and kyonshÄ« in japanese. it is typically depicted as a stiff corpse dressed in official garments from the qing dynasty, and it moves around by hopping, with its arms outstretched. it kills living creatures to absorb their qi, or "life force", usually at night, while in the day, it rests in a coffin or hides in dark places such as caves.http://www.mythicalcreaturesguide.com/page/jiangshi jiangshi legends have inspired a genre of jiangshi films and literature in hong kong and east asia. ==genesis== the qing dynasty scholar ji xiaolan mentioned in his book yuewei caotang biji (é±å¾®èå ç­è¨) that the causes of a corpse being reanimated can be classified in either of two categories: a recently deceased person returning to life, or a corpse that has been buried for a long time but does not decompose. some causes are described below: * the chemical composition of the burial ground is unsuitable for living organisms, so bacteria is not present to help in the decay process. the corpse's hair and nails appear to be growing and there are no evident signs of decomposition. if not dealt with, the corpse will eventually become a jiangshi over time. (in fact, a corpse's flesh will actually contract and withdraw, so hair and nails originally concealed under the flesh become more exposed, creating an illusion of "growing" hair and nails.) * the use of supernatural arts to resurrect the dead. * spirit possession of a dead body. * a corpse absorbs sufficient yang qi to return to life. * a person's body is governed by three huns and seven pos. the qing dynasty scholar yuan mei wrote in his book zi bu yu that "a person's hun is good but his po is evil, his hun is intelligent but his po is foolish". the hun leaves his body after death but his po remains and takes control of the body, so the dead person becomes a jiangshi. * the dead person is not buried even after a funeral has been held. the corpse comes to life after it is struck by a bolt of lightning, or when a pregnant cat (or a black cat in some tales) leaps across the coffin. * when a person's soul fails to leave the deceased's body, due to improper death, suicide, or just wanting to cause trouble. [http://www.ufo.org.tw/news/2009/020209-1
Chinese_folklore Chinese_legendary_creatures Chinese_mythology Corporeal_undead Jiangshi_fiction Monsters Supernatural_legends