Myths and Legends

China

The Midnight Bus 375

Legend: One of China's most famous urban legends, this story centers on a bus traveling in Beijing in 1995. Late at night, Bus 375 departs the Summer Palace, picking up passengers along its route. At one stop, two men dressed in traditional Qing Dynasty clothing board the bus but behave strangely, sitting silently at the back. Other passengers feel uneasy, but the driver ignores their concerns. Eventually, one man accuses another passenger of stealing his wallet, causing a commotion that forces the driver to stop. The accuser and the accused disembark, only for the remaining passengers to later disappear mysteriously. The next morning, the bus is found burned, and all its passengers and the driver are dead.

Cultural Context: This legend plays on fears of the supernatural, modern urban isolation, and distrust of strangers. The burned bus suggests a punishment for ignoring warnings of otherworldly presences.

The Ghost Bride

Legend: In rural China, it's believed that dying unmarried can leave a spirit restless. Families sometimes arrange "ghost marriages," where the deceased are "wed" to another dead person appease their spirits. However, this practice has inspired tales of ghost brides luring living men into marriages. In one version, a man unknowingly weds a ghost who later reveals her true nature and drags him to the afterlife.

Cultural Context: Ghost marriages reflect Confucian values of family continuity and the afterlife. The legend warns against ignoring traditional practices and venturing into unknown territory.

The Strange Elevator Incident

Legend: A young woman in a high-rise building enters an elevator late at night. As the doors are about to close, a man enters, and she feels a sense of dread. She notices he presses the button for the 18th floor (a number associated with hell in Chinese culture). When the elevator reaches his floor, he turns and whispers, "See you soon." The next morning, she learns that someone was murdered on the 18th floor that night.

Cultural Context: This story combines fears of urban anonymity with the number 18, which in Chinese culture is ominously linked to the concept of hell due to its pronunciation ("shi-ba") sounding similar to "eternal suffering."

The Lotus Pond Ghost

Legend: In small villages, tales are told of a beautiful ghost haunting lotus ponds at night. Men lured by her beauty often drown when they try to approach her. The spirit is said to be a woman who died tragically in the pond, seeking revenge on men for her misfortune.

Cultural Context: This legend reflects themes of unrequited love, betrayal, and the dangers of temptation. It serves as a cautionary tale for young men to avoid recklessness.

Hungry Ghost Festival Sightings

Legend: During the Hungry Ghost Festival, when spirits are believed to roam the earth, many report strange sightings. One popular tale describes a woman walking alone who notices a group of people offering food at a roadside altar. They invite her to join them, and she sees their shadows flickering under the moonlight, only to realize they lack feet-- a telltale sign of ghosts. She escapes, but not without narrowly avoiding their wrath.

Cultural Context: The story underscores the importance of respecting the dead and observing rituals during the festival.

The Woman Without a Face

Legend: This legend tells of a faceless woman haunting public restrooms in schools and malls. Students report seeing her at the sink, and when they glance into the mirror, they notice she has no face. Sometimes, she whispers their names, causing them to faint.

Cultural Context: The fear of the faceless woman ties to the concept of mo gui (demonic spirits) and reflects anxiety about confronting one's identity in modern society.

The Tunnel of Screams

Legend: A tunnel in Shanghai is said to be haunted by the victims of an accident from decades ago. Drivers report hearing screams, seeing shadows dart across their headlights, or even experiencing strange malfunctions with their vehicles.

Cultural Context: Urban legends about haunted locations often emerge in cities with rapid modernization, reflecting the tension between the old and new.

The Phantom Hitchhiker

Legend: A driver picks up a young woman on a desrted road outside a small town. She says she's going home but soon vanishes from the car. When the driver visits the address she mentioned, an elderly woman explains her daughter died in an accident years ago.

Cultural Context: Similar to global phantom hitchhiker stories, this legend emphasizes the grief and lingering presence of the dead.

The Red Envelope Curse

Legend: A man receives a mysterious red envelope in the mail, a symbol of good fortune in Chinese culture. When he opens it, he finds disturbing photos and is cursed to die unless he passes the envelope to someone else.

Cultural Context: The tale reflects the duality of symbols like the red envelope, typically representing good luck but turned into a harbinger of doom.

The Hopping Vampires (Jiangshi)

Legend: Jiangshi are reanimated corpses that hop rather than walk due to rigor mortis. They drain life energy from the living and can be warded off using talismans written with specific Taoist incantations. Some versions describe them as a result of improper burial rituals.

Cultural Context: Jiangshi legends blend Chinese sprituality, burial customs, and fears of death. They symbolize the consequences of neglecting traditional practices.