Jiangshi
The jiangshi is a stiff corpse that hops with outstretched arms, absorbing qi from the living. Daoist priests ward it with paper talismans, mirrors, and rooster crows—rites that restore cosmic balance and proper rest.
Story beats
- 1) A body buried improperly, struck by lightning, or infused with resentment refuses to lie still.
- 2) Rigor mortis forces the corpse to hop; nails and teeth lengthen, skin pales to green-white.
- 3) At night it senses breath and life-force, pursuing slowly but relentlessly, leaping across rooftops.
- 4) Daoist priests paste a yellow talisman with cinnabar ink to freeze it, then perform rites to send it home or disintegrate it.
Context & symbolism
Jiangshi tales reinforce funeral propriety—right direction, right date, right rites—or else disharmony births restless dead. In folklore, priests transported bodies across provinces; hopping corpses dramatize that service gone wrong.
They also echo fears of stagnation: a body that moves without breath, tradition without spirit. Comedic films turned the jiangshi into an action-horror staple, blending Taoist magic with martial slapstick.
Motifs
- Yellow paper seals with red characters
- Hopping gait due to rigor
- Chicken crow or sticky rice as purifiers
- Breath-held to hide from detection
Use it in play
- Escort corpses home across mountains; sabotage turns one into a jiangshi mid-journey.
- Collect herbs for cinnabar ink before nightfall to craft talismans that freeze hopping undead.
- Stealth scene: hold your breath and stay motionless as a jiangshi patrols a corridor.
- A sealed jiangshi contains a vital letter; removing the talisman risks unleashing it.