Jiangshi Vampire Story from China
Jiangshi (Vampire from China). A Jiangshi also known as a Vampire or Zombie, is a kind of spirit in Chinese legend and folklore. "Jianghi" read goeng-shi in Cantonese, Cuong thi in Vietnamese, Korean gangshi and Kyonshi in Japanese. It is usually described as a rigid spirit wearing the official outfit of the Qing Dynasty, and moves around by jumping, with his weapon outstretched. It kills living beings to absorb the strength of its victims, or "life force" usually at night, while in the daytime, it is located inside a coffin or hiding in dark places like GUA. The legend of Jiangshi has inspired the genre of Jiangshi and literary films in Hong Kong and East Asia.
A source should have Jiangshi's story derived from the practice of the people carrying the corpse of over a thousand people. The relatives of those who died away from home and had no vehicle to have the bodies of the dead were transported home for burial, so they would hire a Taoist priest to perform a ritual to revive the dead and teach him to walk back home. Priests will carry corpses only at night and will ring a bell to inform others around their presence as it is considered unlucky for the living to look into the eyes of Jiangshi. This practice is also called Xiangxi ganshi which is popular in Xiangxi, where many people leave their hometown to work elsewhere. After they die, their bodies are transported back to their hometown because it is believed that their souls will feel homesick if they are buried somewhere unfamiliar to them. The corpses will be set up in a single file and linked to a bamboo stem on the length of its side, while two people one person in front and one behind) will carry the tip of the rod over their shoulders and walk. When the hair is flexed up and down, the body appears to "jump" in unison when viewed from a distance.
Two oral accounts carrying corpses are included in Liao Yiwu The Corpse Walker. One account describes how the corpse will be transported by a 2 person team. One will carry a recumbent corpse with a large cloak covering both and a mourning mask on top. Others will go ahead with lanterns and warn their colleagues about obstacles in front of them. Lanterns are used as visual guides for carrying corpses to follow because they do not see with the cloak covering them. It is speculated in the accounts in the book that the bodies will be done at night to avoid contact with people and cold air will be more suitable to transport corpses. The Jiangshi story mentions that this is just a smuggling essay disguising their illegal activities as transporting corpses and frightening the surrounding law enforcement officers.