Xuanzuan

**Xuanzuan** (玄纂; phantom, strange apparition) is the general term for the supernatural monsters, spirits and fairies of Kantonese folklore. The word *xuanzuan* is made up of two characters - the first meaning 'dark, mysterious' and the second meaning 'bewitching, enchanting, suspicious'. *Xuanzuan* are also referred to as *chanzi* (颤字, 'a shiver'), *yuezhong* (约众, 'enchanted being'), *mozao* (陌枣, 'strange happening') or *kouzhong* (寇众, 'magical being'). The characteristics of xuanzuan range from fiercely evil and malevolent entities believed to cause harm and misfortune, to those considered neutral and passive, and even those who are kind and can bless humans with good fortune.

*Xuanzuan* often possess shared characteristics, such as blue eyes, black fur or hair, and in some cases, carry a scent best likened to the smell of cooked mushrooms. *Xuanzuan* may take either animal or humanoid form in their manifestation, although many do not appear as anthropomorphic beings (e.g. *mohuo*, sentient balls of fire akin to will o' the wisps). Some *xuanzuan* can resemble plants and inanimate objects (such as the *qiangfu*), while others exist simply as a social concept or phenomena (e.g. ). *Xuanzuan* are typically described as having spiritual or supernatural abilities, with invisibility, telepathy and telekinesis being the most common traits associated with them. *Xuanzuan* which exclusively exist as invisible creatures are known as *xuankong* (玄空).

It is thought that the majority of *xuanzuan* myths, stories and legends originated from ancient Kantonese folklore, influenced by the folk religion Shenlu and later by Qiren beliefs. In the 16th century, due to a rise in the popularity of old, superstitious folk tales and a surge of new art and literature, many new *xuanzuan* were invented by famous artists and writers and so entered the pantheon.

## Evolution

The concept of *xuanzuan*, the causes for their manifestation and phenomena related to them varies greatly through Kantonese history. Typically, the older the time period, the more phenomena were deemed to be supernatural and thus the result of dark forces interfering. However, the look of *xuanzuan* folklore has changed and evolved drastically over the centuries.

Over time, phenomena and events thought to be supernatural became fewer and fewer, with the depictions of *xuanzuan* in picture scrolls and paintings beginning to standardise, evolving into caricatures hardly resembling their original fearsome identities. Elements of famous tales and legends surrounding the *xuanzuan* were depicted widely in public entertainment, beginning in the early Nen Period. During the following centuries, the mythology and lore of xuanzuan became more defined and formalised. Fifty versions of one basic tale would be combined to create a standard story, which was then published for mass consumption in scrolls, books, and later, magazines and comics.

## Types and categorisation

Categorising *xuanzuan* entities is a difficult task because many creatures tend to overlap general categories. For the most part, Kantonese folklore was extremely fluid, with stories and legends changing often until at least the 17th century, when standardisation began to erase archaic word-of-mouth tales. For this reason, it is difficult to pinpoint the correct category in which any *xuanzuan* might belong, as the vast majority were certainly not created with categorisation in mind.

In 1478, the first *xuanzuan* compendium, named “Zhuijing de Xuanzuan Yaju” (隹竟的玄纂牙具, "A Complete and True Encyclopedia of the Xuanzuan") was published. Although this book did not attempt to standardise stories associated with creatures and entities, it did provide reference in the form of categorisation. Later guides and encyclopedias concerning the *xuanzuan*, in the main, adhered quite closely to this original system. In many old books, *xuanzuan* are indexed as follows:

* 保昆的玄纂 (Entities of the Natural World)
* 贼性玄纂 (Ghost/Spirit Entities)
* 教性玄纂 (Witch/Shamanistic Entities)
* 玄陌枣 (Strange and Dark Phenomena/Happenings)
* 黑性玄纂 (Devilish/Demonic Entities)
* 管玖玄纂 (Evil Entities)
* 離玖玄纂 (Neutral Entities)
* 练玖玄纂 (Compassionate Entities)

## See also

* Zei
* List of legendary creatures from Kanton
* Jing