Yuezhong

Yuezhong (约众; yuēzhòng, 'enchanting being') are supernatural spirits and demons in Kantonese folklore who are said to have the ability to possess human individuals. Through possession, yuezhong could cause suffering, such as illness, miscarriages, wasting or degenerative sicknesses or a change of character which made the person violent and angry. This word is sometimes used to refer to xuanzuan, in the broad sense of 'supernatural entity'.

## History

For much of Kantonese history, unexplained illnesses, damage to one's body, psychological conditions and severe mood swings were believed to be the work of malicious yuezhong. These spirits would have to be exorcised by a priest in order to rid the victim's body of possession. Particular afflictions believed to be a result of spiritual possession were degenerative illnesses, such as dementia and multiple sclerosis, psychological conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and Tourette's, and motor neuron diseases.

Some afflications and ailments were named by their association with supernatural possession. For example, up until the 17th century mental illness was often called tianyue (田约), meaning 'enchantment of the mind', and inferring that the victim was under the influence of a yuezhong.

Although knowledge of how contagious diseases worked was still rather vague, many priests believed that yuezhong were infectious in nature and could 'split' their energies in order to possess a number of humans at once, especially those who worked and lived in close proximity. There have been accounts of royal courts undergoing mass exorcism and purification (perhaps 60-100 people at once).

### Development

It is thought that the concept of yuezhong came from tales of Japanese mononoke and Chinese wuguai, spirits who could also possess humans. Indeed, all three of these malicious forces have many similarities. Originally, in ancient times yuezhong were often used not just to explain human afflictions and disorders, but also to explain unfortunate, strange and mysterious phenomena of the natural world, such as avalanches, floods, wildfires, drought and famine. Yuezhong have never been described as being able to manifest on their own. They can only manifest their malicious energy when inhabiting a human host, and this is how they survive.

In ancient times, priests and shaman healers would perform rudimentary purification rituals (later to become exorcisms) in hopes of driving away the afflictions caused by yuezhong. In some rare cases, if the spirit was particularly tenacious, the priest or shaman would temporarily draw the spirit's energy and transfer to himself in order to combat it more intensely. Once evidence had shown that the yuezhong was gone from its victim, a final purification would be made in order to protect the victim against future possessions.

By the 14th century, it was commonly believed that yuezhong, as spirits capable of possession, could also 'haunt' old buildings, forests, rivers, or any other place of interest. One method of dispelling yuezhong was often used by priests when dealing with the possession of places. Using holy fire, priests would draw out and then trap the yuezhong in some kind of flammable inanimate host, before setting it alight. The host would often be a doll or miejie (literally, 'spirit doll') which would resemble a human form to attract the yuezhong. Once the spirit had entered the doll, it would be burnt and the spirit would be destroyed for good. Eventually, this method of entrapment became commonplace in exorcisms, and miejie became commonplace in ceremonies of exorcism by the 1500s.