Zei

***Zei*** (贼) are figures in Kantonese folklore analogous to the Western concept of ghosts. Alternate names include *fanmie* (返乜, 'faded spirit'), *cuimie* (悴乜, 'soul of the deceased') or the more encompassing term *xuanzuan* (玄纂) in the context of a 'strange apparition'. Like their Western and Asian counterparts, *zei* are thought to be spirits barred from a peaceful afterlife.

## Afterlife beliefs

According to traditional Kantonese beliefs, all humans have a spirit or soul called *mie* (乜). When a person dies, their *mie* leaves the body and enters a plane of purgatory, where it waits for the proper funeral and blessing rites to be performed so that it may join its ancestors. If this is done correctly and promptly, the *mie* becomes a venerated ancestor and a *shanzei* (善贼), who protects their living family in return for regular offerings and worship.

If a person dies, however, in a sudden or extremely violent manner such as murder or suicide, if the proper rites have not been performed, or if they died while influenced by powerful emotions such as jealousy, wrath, love, hatred or misery, the soul is believed to transform into a *zei* which can then bridge the gap back to the physical world in search of closure. Even small ideas or thoughts can cause a death to become disturbed. Once a notion of ill intent enters the mind of a dying person, their soul will return to complete the action before returning to the afterlife once and for all.

At this point the ghost now exists on the earthly plane until it can be laid to rest, either by performing the necessary funeral rites, or resolving the emotional conflict that still ties this spirit to the physical world. If the rituals are not completed or the conflict left unresolved, the *zei* will continue its haunting.

It is also believed that the hardships and misfortune suffered in a person's life will accumulate up until death, and may cause a spirit to return even after undergoing funeral rites due to the build-up of misery, anger and pain inside their soul. These *zei* can only be appeased by enacting revenge on those who wronged them in life, and are known as grudge spirits - *daozei*.

## Appearance

*Zei* often have a rather uniform appearance, and are easy to recognise due to their strange aura and distinctly unnerving features.

* White skin - all *zei* have extremely pale, almost transluscent white skin which emits an eerie glow in darkness. Along with symbolising the state of their physical cadaver, it suggests that all the colour and personality has been drained from this manifestation. Their living self is no longer fully realised - the ghost's entire manifestation is based on the one desire to take care of the action considered before death.
* Black hair - both male and female *zei* will have very long, thick and ragged black hair, which apparently stems from the belief that one's hair continues to grow inside a coffin after death. Sometimes a ghost's hair will completely cover its face, making its identity harder to find.
* Blue eyes - if a zei's face can be seen, it will no longer have brown or black eyes, but rather piercing and bright blue eyes which are disturbingly empty and cold to look into. Blue is a colour frequently associated with the supernatural.
* Mushroom scent - it is said that ghosts carry the faint smell of cooked mushrooms.
* White robe or *yangzhuang* - signifying the holy robe in which corpses are dressing during funeral rites before cremation or burial. Not all *zei* wear robes, however - some may appear naked, especially infants or very young children.

## Classifications

While all Kantonese ghosts can be called *zei*, within that category there are several specific types of apparition, classified mainly by the manner or circumstance in which they died, or their reason for returning to Earth:

* ***Daozei -*** resentful ghosts who return from purgatory, looking to exact revenge on those who wronged them during their lifetime. Over time, it is believed that these spirits become more and more angry and bitter, until eventually they may transform into *maoshen* (deities of evil) or *guanzei*.
* ***Mazei*** - the spirits of mothers who have died in childbirth, or died leaving young children orphaned. This *zei* will return to care for her living children; as a result of these attempts, the children will eventually sicken, grow weak and die, joining her in the afterlife.
* ***Hunzei*** - the ghosts of those who have died at sea. They may only be encountered in the ocean, and will take the form of a mermaid or merman, sometimes depicted with scaly limbs and gills.
* ***Qiezei*** - the ghosts of children who died in distress, or in fact the children who have wasted away under the 'care' of a *mazei*. *Qiezei* are often not dangerous and do not seek to harm humans, however, they do enjoy scaring living children and playing tricks on them.
* ***Fuzei*** - 'floating spirits' who do not have an exact purpose or quest to fulfill in purgatory. Instead, they wander aimlessly, often singing or humming tunelessly. After a long time, *fuzei* may become nothing more than a breeze or light wind, and will not have the energy to reveal themselves to humans. At this stage, they amuse themselves by blowing out candles or shaking paper lanterns in a still room.
* ***Tanzuzei*** - earthbound spirits who, like *fuzei*, do not have a specific purpose but are instead attached to the site or building in which they died. *Tanzuzei* will only be created if the spirit had a strong attachment in life to the place, or if they stayed there for a long time in pain and suffering before death.

### ***Shengzei***

In Kantonese folklore, it is believed that in rare circumstances, the living are also able to manifest their *mie* for a haunting. Living creatures possessed by extraordinary jealousy, love or rage can involuntarily release their spirit as an *shengzei* (), a living ghost which can enact its owner's will remotely.