China

Chinese ghost lore is older than almost any written tradition on earth, and it still generates new legends. The jiangshi, the stiff hopping corpse fed on life force, evolved from real corpse-transport practices in Qing-era China. Ghost Month, the seventh lunar month, remains a period when many avoid swimming, weddings, and new ventures because the gates of the underworld stand open. Modern legends thrive too: the Beijing bus 375 story, in which passengers boarded and never arrived, resurfaces online every few years. This archive collects Chinese urban legends, hauntings, and folklore — from imperial-era ghost tales and haunted sites like Beijing’s Chaonei No. 81 mansion to the stories circulating on Chinese forums today.