It is decribed in this text that a kind of shrine that was erected ontop of Mt. The direct veneration of door-gods can be attested in the Later Han period 後漢 (25-220 CE) book Lunheng 論衡 that quotes from the pseudo-geography Shanhaijing 山海經 (the passage is not to be found in the received version of the Shanhaijing). The term menshen is first mentioned in Zheng Xuan's 鄭玄 Han period 漢 (206 BCE-220 CE) commentary to the chapter Sang da ji 喪大記 in the Liji. The regional rulers founded a smaller number of shrines. The offerings were delivered in shrines all of which were positioned at palace gates. The oldest reference to the door-gods can be seen in the Classic Liji 禮記 "Book of Rites", chapter Jifa 祭法, where it is said that the king of Zhou 周 (11th cent.-221 BCE) brought seven offerings ( si 祀) on behalf of the people. I hope this has provided you with an interesting, enjoyable read and some more innovative costume ideas for your Halloween parties.The Door-Gods ( menshen 門神) are deities in popular religion that were included into the Daoist pantheon. So you might see girls dressed up as sexy spider demons dancing with Dracula at the school horror disco. Celebrations for Halloween in China at the same time as the rest of the world, but the costume choices would not necessarily be entirely of Western monsters. Over the last two or three decades, Halloween has become increasingly popular in China, alongside the revival of traditional festivities such as Ghost Month. To read more about this see the articles below. Originating in rural tales of the strange, Jiangshi have become horror and pop culture favourite in China and elsewhere in Asia. Any compilation of Chinese ghosts and demons would not be complete without China’s ultimate monster, the Jiangshi 僵尸. I hope you have enjoyed this collection of Chinese monsters. Who wouldn’t love a large, fluffy and very clever white cat! This is how people came to recognize and keep themselves safe from different ghosts and demons. Bai Ze drew and wrote about everything it had found on a scroll called the Bai Ze Tu. It is said that the legendary emperor Huang Di caught it on his travels, and implored it to record the shapes and forms of all existing demons and ghosts. It’s a mystery whether she’s friendly or malevolent, as those who glimpsed her true form have tended to run away.Ī very wise creature that could speak the language of humans and understand the secrets of all things and every being. She is a temptress with a beautiful upper body and the lower body of a turtle. This is just one of the many kinds of turtle spirits in Chinese mythology. Its flesh can cure plagues and parasites. Considering the similarity of the Fei’s appearance to Pantyhose Taro in the manga Ranma1/2, I wonder if someone from China had drowned in Níuhèmànmáorénnìquán?Ī bird the size of a quail, with yellow fur and a red beak. Where the Fei appears, rivers and marshes dry up, grass and trees wither, and plagues spread. It lives on the Taishan Mountains and has been documented in Shan Hai Jing. At the sight of a fire, it would flap its giant, magnificent wings, and the flames would be extinguished.Ī plague monster with the body of bull, a snake’s tail, and a third eye on its head. Venerated in households in some regions of China, the Lei is both male and female. Some versions say that Bi Fang stole fire from the heavens and gifted it to humans.Ī bird shaped like a magpie with two heads and four claws, believed to have the ability of put out fires. It was first documented in the Shan Hai Jing, a work dated around 3 rd century BCE to 1 st century CE, on the creatures, peoples, customs and geography of various regions of China. Named after its distinctive cry, this giant crane-like bird is believed to cause, or be the harbinger of fires. The Jiu Tou Niao is well documented in texts of the Tang and Song (960-1279) dynasties. In the old days, during the time the bird was believed to appear, lights were extinguished very early and dogs sent out. Blood gushing from its headless neck, the Jiu Tou Niao is believed to suck out the spirit energy of children. It was said to have had ten heads originally, but one was cut off by a hunter on the orders of Zhou Gongdan politician and thinker of Western Zhou (10 – 8 th centuries BCE). Having explored in the first three articles of this mini-series, deadly demons, friendly fiends, gorgeous ghouls and saucy spooks in Chinese supernatural lore, I come to the mythical monsters.Ī nine-headed bird, an inauspicious being in ethnic Han myths. Chinese Monsters IV: Mythological Creatures
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