JIANGSHI

ORIGIN: Chinese folklore

The Jiangshi is also known as the Hopping Vampire and is one of the most feared supernatural creatures in Chinese folklore. 

Unlike traditional Western vampires, the Jiangshi is a corpse that moves by hopping with its arms stretched out, moving to hunting the living in order to drain their life force.

A Jiangshi is created when a person dies under unnatural circumstances— such as suicide, murder, or an improper burial— or if their soul fails to leave their body. 

Taoist priests were once believed to perform a ritual to transport corpses back to their hometowns by reanimating them (waking them up), making them hop in single file at night. 

However, if something went wrong, these corpses could become Jiangshi, turning into mindless monsters that prey on the living.

A Jiangshi is wears traditional Qing Dynasty robes with a talisman on its forehead that seals its spirit. 

If the talisman is removed, the creature would becomes uncontrollable. 

Unlike Western vampires, Jiangshi do not drink blood; instead, they absorb the qi (life force) of their victims, leaving them lifeless.

To be protected against a Jiangshi, people use mirrors, the blood of a black dog, and sticky rice, which is believed to absorb its evil energy. 

Even today, tales of Jiangshi live; in ghost stories and horror movies, keeping their legend alive.