Ghost Blows Out the Light
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''Gui Chui Deng (Ghost Blows Out the Light)'' (), also referred to as ''Candle in the Tomb'', is a
fantasy novel Fantasy literature is literature set in an imaginary universe, often but not always without any locations, events, or people from the real world. Magic, the supernatural and magical creatures are common in many of these imaginary worlds. Fa ...
series written by (天下霸唱) about a team of
grave robber Grave robbery, tomb robbing, or tomb raiding is the act of uncovering a grave, tomb or crypt to steal commodities. It is usually perpetrated to take and profit from valuable artefacts or personal property. A related act is body snatching, a term ...
s seeking hidden
treasure Treasure (from la, thesaurus from Greek language ''thēsauros'', "treasure store") is a concentration of wealth — often originating from ancient history — that is considered lost and/or forgotten until rediscovered. Some jurisdictions leg ...
, with the first book published
online In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed "on line" or ...
in March 2006."Little Fatty Likely to Appear in Hollywood Film"
''
China Radio International China Radio International (CRI) is the state-owned international radio broadcaster of China. It is currently headquartered in the Babaoshan area of Beijing's Shijingshan District. It was founded on December 3, 1941, as Radio Peking. It late ...
'', July 2, 2007.
It quickly became the bestselling online novel in
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
with an estimated readership of six million,Chellis Ying
"Looking for China's Murakami"
''
Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...
'', September 21, 2007.
and when
published Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...
in print form in October the same year,"The Thriller 'Candle in the Tomb'"
''
China Radio International China Radio International (CRI) is the state-owned international radio broadcaster of China. It is currently headquartered in the Babaoshan area of Beijing's Shijingshan District. It was founded on December 3, 1941, as Radio Peking. It late ...
'', April 4, 2007.
"Ghosts in the Machine?", P2BChi.com. went on to sell over 500,000 copies, although the book had to be rewritten to remove references to the supernatural before it could be released.Aventurina King
"The Chinese Novel Finds New Life Online"
''
Wired ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fra ...
'', August 17, 2007.
Set in the 1980s, the series follows former
soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...
Hu Bayi and his partner as they raid tombs in search of valuables. The two team up with an American
archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
after they fall victim to a
curse A curse (also called an imprecation, malediction, execration, malison, anathema, or commination) is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to one or more persons, a place, or an object. In particular, ...
, and to release themselves from it they must seek clues found among ancient
mythical Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrati ...
sites across China. The title is derived from an old Chinese saying, credited by the author to genuine grave robbers: "A human lights the candle and the ghosts blow it out." According to Muye, grave robbers would place a
candle A candle is an ignitable wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time. A person who makes candles i ...
in the south-east corner of a
tomb A tomb ( grc-gre, τύμβος ''tumbos'') is a :wikt:repository, repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be ...
after entering, in an attempt to make contact with the dead. If the candle was extinguished it was a sign that the
spirits Spirit or spirits may refer to: Liquor and other volatile liquids * Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks * Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol * Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...
within opposed the intrusion, and the robbers would be obliged to depart, leaving everything intact and undisturbed.


Adaptations

In July 2007, it was reported that
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...
film studio A film studio (also known as movie studio or simply studio) is a major entertainment company or motion picture company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to make films, which is handled by the production ...
New Line Cinema New Line Cinema is an American film production studio owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and is a film label of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye as an independent film distribution company; later becoming a film studio after acq ...
was planning a movie adaptation. It was stated that one of the two lead actors was to be
Qian Zhijun Qian Zhijun (born July 15, 1987), nicknamed "Little Fatty" (小胖 Xiǎo Pàng), is a Chinese actor and entertainer. His fame began during the " Little Fatty" internet meme, and since then he has appeared in a film and a cooking show, hosted a ...
, the teenager whose face was behind the ''
Xiao Pang Little Fatty (小胖 Xiǎo Pàng) is an internet meme involving superimposing the face of a boy on various photographs. Because of the internet meme and the resulting sudden fame, the boy, Qian Zhijun, decided to become a public figure, and he ...
''
internet phenomenon An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...
, while other roles would be played by established
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
movie star A movie star (also known as a film star or cinema star) is an actor or actress who is famous for their starring, or leading, roles in movies. The term is used for performers who are marketable stars as they become popular household names and w ...
s."Johnnie To's Next Project Is a Trilogy Thriller"
''
China Radio International China Radio International (CRI) is the state-owned international radio broadcaster of China. It is currently headquartered in the Babaoshan area of Beijing's Shijingshan District. It was founded on December 3, 1941, as Radio Peking. It late ...
'', August 31, 2007
There has already been a bestselling
online game An online game is a video game that is either partially or primarily played through the Internet or any other computer network available. Online games are ubiquitous on modern gaming platforms, including PC game, PCs, Console game, consoles and ...
released based on the book, while a
play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Pla ...
is also mooted.Jessie Jiang & Simon Elegant
"Avoiding Censors, Chinese Authors Go Online"
''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'', March 16, 2009.
In 2015, two film adaptations of the novel was released. Zhang revealed that out of all eight volumes of the novel; half of them were sold to China Film Group Corporation, and the other half were sold to Wanda Pictures. Zhang worked with Wanda for '' Mojin: The Lost Legend'', helping to write a new chapter especially for the film. The other adaptation, ''
Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe ''Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe'' () is a 2015 Chinese 3D adventure action film directed and co-written by Lu Chuan, and stars Mark Chao, Yao Chen, Rhydian Vaughan, Li Chen, Tiffany Tang and Daniel Feng. The film is an adaptation of Zhang Muye' ...
'' received mixed reviews as too many changes were made to the story in the original novel, and Zhang even issued a statement saying he was not involved with the screenplay. In 2018, another film was released titled Mojin: The Worm Valley. In 2022, a fourth adaptation will be released, ''
The Legend Hunters ''The Legend Hunters'' ( zh, 鬼吹灯之天星术) is an upcoming Chinese action film directed by Simon West and Li Yifan, from a screenplay by Li Yifan. It is based on the novel series ''Ghost Blows Out the Light'' by Zhang Muye. The film star ...
''. Three television adaptations are also produced. '' Candle in the Tomb'', released in December 2016 by Daylight Entertainment, is based on the first volume of the novel series of the same title. Two more adaptations ''
The Weasel Grave ''The Weasel Grave'' ( Chinese: 鬼吹灯之黄皮子坟) is a 2017 Chinese web series adapted from the second book of the novel series ''Ghost Blows Out the Light'' directed by acclaimed director Guan Hu. It stars Ethan Juan, Xu Lu, Hao Hao and Li ...
'' and '' Mu Ye Gui Shi'' were released in 2017 and are based on the second volume and eighth volume of the series respectively. In 2019, another adaptation called ''The Wrath of Time'' was released and in 2020 ''The Lost Caverns'' was released followed by ''The Worm Valley'' in 2021 with the same casts.


See also

*
Daomu Biji ''Daomu Biji'' () variously translated as ''Grave Robbers’ Chronicles'',Title of the English translation of the book. ''Grave Robbery Note''Title seen on manhua edition of the story. and ''The Lost Tomb'',Title seen on serial edition of the sto ...


References


External links


Official site of the franchise


entry at Baidu Baike {{in lang, zh 2006 Chinese novels Chinese fantasy novels Fiction set in the 1980s Chinese novels adapted into films Chinese novels adapted into television series