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Jiangshi
A jiāngshī, also known as a Chinese hopping vampire, is a type of reanimated corpse in Chinese legends and folklore. The characters for "jiāngshī" are read goeng-si in Cantonese, cương thi in Vietnamese, kyonshī in Japanese, and gangsi in Korean. It is also known as phi dip chin in Thai, hantu pocong in Malay, and vampir cina in Indonesia. It is typically depicted as a stiff corpse dressed in Chinese shroud which is sometimes mistaken as official garments from the Qing Dynasty, and it moves around by hopping with its arms outstretched. It kills living creatures to absorb their '' qi'', or "life force", usually at night, while during the day, it rests in a coffin or hides in dark places such as caves. Jiangshi legends have inspired a genre of jiangshi films and literature in Hong Kong and East Asia. Origins The Qing Dynasty scholar Ji Xiaolan mentioned in his book ''Yuewei Caotang Biji'' () (c. 1789 – 1798) (The Shadow Book of Ji Yun', Empress Wu Books, 2021) that the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jiangshi Fiction
Jiangshi fiction, or goeng-si fiction in Cantonese, is a literary and cinematic genre of horror based on the jiangshi of Chinese folklore, a reanimated corpse controlled by Taoist priests that resembles the zombies and vampires of Western fiction. The genre first appeared in the literature of the Qing dynasty and the jiangshi film () is a staple of the modern Hong Kong film industry. Hong Kong jiangshi films like '' Mr. Vampire'' and ''Encounters of the Spooky Kind'' follow a formula of mixing horror with comedy and kung fu. Literature Derived from Chinese folklore, jiangshi fiction first appeared in the literature of the Qing dynasty. The jiangshi is a corpse reanimated by a Taoist priest. The priest commands the jiangshi and directs it to a location for a proper burial. Jiangshi hop as they move and are able to absorb '' qi'', the essence of the living. The ties between jiangshi and vampires, and the English translation of jiangshi as "hopping vampire", may have been a marketing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vampire
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deaths in the neighbourhoods they inhabited while they were alive. They wore shrouds and were often described as bloated and of ruddy or dark countenance, markedly different from today's gaunt, pale vampire which dates from the early 19th century. Vampiric entities have been Vampire folklore by region, recorded in cultures around the world; the term ''vampire'' was popularized in Western Europe after reports of an 18th-century mass hysteria of a pre-existing folk belief in the Balkans and Eastern Europe that in some cases resulted in corpses being staked and people being accused of vampirism. Local variants in Eastern Europe were also known by different names, such as ''shtriga'' in Albanian mythology, Albania, ''vrykolakas'' in G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zi Bu Yu
''What the Master Would Not Discuss'' (, alternatively known as Xin Qixie ) is a collection of supernatural stories compiled by Qing Dynasty scholar and writer Yuan Mei. The work has also been called ''What the Master Does not Speak of'' and other such titles, as well as ''Censored by Confucius'' in one translated work of selected tales. Title The title of the work ''Zi bu yu'' refers to the passage of the ''Analects'' of Confucius that states, "The topics the Master did not speak of were prodigies, force, disorder and gods"Lau, D. C. tr. (1982) 979''Confucius: The Analects'', Book Seven, p. 88 ''apud'' , p. xxiii His reference to the master was criticised as a 'heretical' use of Confucian texts. Yuan later changed the title to ''Xin Qixie'' ( zh, t=新齊諧, s=新齐谐, labels=no, "New Wonder Tales of Qi/from Qi") when he discovered there was a Yuan dynasty text with the title ''What the Master Would Not Discuss''. However, Yuan's collection is still commonly known by its or ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bencao Gangmu
The ''Bencao gangmu'', known in English as the ''Compendium of Materia Medica'' or ''Great Pharmacopoeia'', is an encyclopedic gathering of medicine, natural history, and Chinese herbology compiled and edited by Li Shizhen and published in the late 16th century, during the Ming dynasty. Its first draft was completed in 1578 and printed in Nanjing in 1596. The ''Compendium'' lists the '' materia medica'' of traditional Chinese medicine known at the time, including plants, animals, and minerals that were believed to have medicinal properties. Over the centuries it was reprinted, translated, and cited widely. In the twentieth century was adopted as a basis for Traditional Chinese Medicine. Li compiled his entries not only from hundreds of earlier works in the ''bencao'' medical tradition, but from literary and historical texts. He reasoned that a poem might have better value that a medical work and that a tale of the strange could illustrate a drug's effects. Name The title, tran ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fungus
A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from the other eukaryotic kingdoms, which by one traditional classification include Plantae, Animalia, Protozoa, and Chromista. A characteristic that places fungi in a different kingdom from plants, bacteria, and some protists is chitin in their cell walls. Fungi, like animals, are heterotrophs; they acquire their food by absorbing dissolved molecules, typically by secreting digestive enzymes into their environment. Fungi do not photosynthesize. Growth is their means of mobility, except for spores (a few of which are flagellated), which may travel through the air or water. Fungi are the principal decomposers in ecological systems. These and other differences place fungi in a single group of related organisms, named the ''Eumycota'' (''true f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mold (fungus)
A mold () or mould () is one of the structures certain fungi can form. The dust-like, colored appearance of molds is due to the formation of spores containing fungal secondary metabolites. The spores are the dispersal units of the fungi. Not all fungi form molds. Some fungi form mushrooms; others grow as single cells and are called microfungi (for example yeasts). A large and taxonomically diverse number of fungal species form molds. The growth of hyphae results in discoloration and a fuzzy appearance, especially on food. The network of these tubular branching hyphae, called a mycelium, is considered a single organism. The hyphae are generally transparent, so the mycelium appears like very fine, fluffy white threads over the surface. Cross-walls (septa) may delimit connected compartments along the hyphae, each containing one or multiple, genetically identical nuclei. The dusty texture of many molds is caused by profuse production of asexual spores ( conidia) formed by di ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hungry Ghost
Hungry ghost is a concept in Buddhism, and Chinese traditional religion, representing beings who are driven by intense emotional needs in an animalistic way. The terms ' literally "hungry ghost", are the Chinese translation of the term ''preta'' in Buddhism. "Hungry ghosts" play a role in Chinese Buddhism and Taoism as well as in Chinese folk religion The term is not to be confused with the generic term for " ghost" or damnation, ' (i.e. the residual spirit of a deceased ancestor). The understanding is that all people become such a regular ghost when they die,Venerable Yin-shun. ''The Way to Buddhahood''. Massachusetts: Wisdom Publications: 1998. and would then slowly weaken and eventually die a second time.Eberhard, Stephen F. ''The Ghost Festival in Medieval China''. New Jersey: Princeton University Press: 1988. Hungry ghosts, by contrast, are a much more exceptional case, and would only occur in very unfortunate circumstances, such as if a whole family were killed or when a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Li Shizhen
Li Shizhen (July 3, 1518 – 1593), courtesy name Dongbi, was a Chinese acupuncturist, herbalist, naturalist, pharmacologist, physician, and writer of the Ming dynasty. He is the author of a 27-year work, found in the ''Compendium of Materia Medica'' (''Bencao Gangmu''; ). He developed several methods for classifying herb components and medications for treating diseases. CNTV Documentary on the life and achievements of Li Shizhen, with focus on his work ''Compendium of Materia Medica''. Title is (English translation is "Medical and Pharmacological Sage Lishizhen"). Part of the serie(English name is "Around China"). English subtitles are available. The ''Compendium'' is a materia medica text with 1,892 entries, with details about more than 1,800 traditional Chinese medicines, including 1,100 illustrations and 11,000 prescriptions. It also described the type, form, flavor, nature and application in disease treatments of 1,094 herbs. The book has been translated into ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peach
The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fuzzy varieties), nectarines. The specific name ''persica'' refers to its widespread cultivation in Persia (modern-day Iran), from where it was transplanted to Europe. It belongs to the genus ''Prunus'', which includes the cherry, apricot, almond, and plum, in the rose family. The peach is classified with the almond in the subgenus '' Amygdalus'', distinguished from the other subgenera by the corrugated seed shell (endocarp). Due to their close relatedness, the kernel of a peach stone tastes remarkably similar to almond, and peach stones are often used to make a cheap version of marzipan, known as persipan. Peaches and nectarines are the same species, though they are regarded commercially as different fruits. The skin of nectarines lac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fulu
(), is a term for Taoist incantations and magic symbols, written or painted as talisman or () by Taoist practitioners. These practitioners are also called () or the sect, an informal group made up of priests from different schools of Taoism. These charms and amulets are also not confined strictly to Taoism as they have been incorporated in to certain forms of Chinese Buddhism, and have descendants such as the of Japanese Buddhism and Shinto. Etymology * (), or () are instructions to deities and spirits, symbols for exorcism, and medicinal potion recipes or charms to assist with ailments. * () is a register of the membership of the priests, as well as the skills they are trained in. Other names for in English include Taoist magic writing, magic script characters, magic figures, magic formulas, secret talismanic writing, and talismanic characters. General design Fu symbols tend to have irregular strokes that resemble Traditional Chinese characters, often elon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wuxing (Chinese Philosophy)
(; Japanese: (); Korean: (); Vietnamese: ''ngũ hành'' (五行)), usually translated as Five Phases or Five Agents, is a fivefold conceptual scheme that many traditional Chinese fields used to explain a wide array of phenomena, from cosmic cycles to the interaction between internal organs, and from the succession of political regimes to the properties of medicinal drugs. The "Five Phases" are Fire ( zh, c=, p=huǒ, labels=no), Water ( zh, c=, p=shuǐ, labels=no), Wood ( zh, c=, p=mù, labels=no), Metal or Gold ( zh, c=, p=jīn, labels=no), and Earth or Soil ( zh, c=, p=tǔ, labels=no). This order of presentation is known as the " Days of the Week" sequence. In the order of "mutual generation" ( zh, c=相生, p=xiāngshēng, labels=no), they are Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. In the order of "mutual overcoming" ( zh, c=相克, p=xiāngkè, labels=no), they are Wood, Earth, Water, Fire, and Metal. The system of five phases was used for describing interactions and rel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
