growing up with the myth of jiangshi, my friends and i used to dress up as them as kids, slapping yellow post-it notes on our foreheads and jumping around in our style of tag / catch. it's nice to learn more about the lore we used to laugh about all the time lol
Kudos to PBS. In my 40-something years as a Chinese immigrant in the US, I have never seen Jiangshi mentioned by Western media (I in fact watched Mr. Vampire when it was released in Hong Kong). Thank you for giving such a detailed depiction of this traditional Chinese mythical horror character.
It's been taught in China history classes, under folklore & religion sections, for decades in US colleges. Got packaged into saleable (and profitable) films for a US / Western audience is a different story.
The corpse driver legends were also used for cover by smugglers during the Qing dynasty and early republic period. They would warn a village that the corpse drivers were coming and tell everyone to stay inside to keep safe then the smugglers would be able to pass through the village without being bothered by law enforcement.
@@troublemaker731 Had to Google like mad to find it again but it's called Taoist Priest. Comedy/Mystery/Horror. Its fun. There are more serious ones but they are so much harder to find. Enjoy 🙂
First off, wanted to give big respect to Prof. Zarka for her pronunciation. She put a lot of effort and respect into it. There were some mistakes, but it’s totally understandable since she switches among numerous cultures and histories on this channel. Furthermore, the information was on point. This was a excellent overview of the jiangshi. Prof. Zarka reminded me of facts from my Chinese religion courses and brought up new info that I’d love to learn more about. Finally, great acknowledgements of Darkstalkers and Shang Chi! Definitely want to watch again!
@@pbsstoried for next time, just remember if you're going with Mandarin then "shi" is "sure" and "x" is like a sharp whistle-y "s." I learned so much in this video, thanks Dr. Zarka!
@@pbsstoriedNo problem Dr. Z! Your best was fine. Switching among different cultures every video and different pronunciations is a challenge. Again, you show good respect when you do so. And I think information is still rich and accurate. Keep it up 👍!
Fun fact: One of the aspects of chinese construction is a high threshold, it is said that the threshold could prevent jianshi from getting in since they couldn't get over it.
I found a movie with these on Netflix once. Between the insanely comical hopping, trying to follow the subtitles, and an ample amount of alcohol it was one heck of an experience!
@@cowboyquebecanimations3068- No subtitles on Power Rangers. I've seen a few of those movies. Cheaply subtitled for the English-speaking audience, and plots that might have made sense to people familiar with Chinese legends and culture(s).
I once saw an episode of Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness where Po tells a scary story about the Jiang-shi on a blood moon night, later in the episode he has to fight not only Reanimated Jiang-shi but also Jiang-shi versions of the Furious Five
Nice! It's always such a treat to see Eastern folklore on here. These have always been fascinating to me, not only because of the West's vampirization of them, but also the manipulation of them through the scroll placed on their foreheads.
Yessss! I LOVE hopping Chinese vampires. My favorite cheesy horror movie I got very lucky to see when I was younger is called "New Mr Vampire" and it's an English dubbed old horror comedy that features a Chinese hopping Vampire in it. Apparently the Mr Vampire series is a rather large series of movies but they are SUPER rare to find in the US on dvd let alone digitally. I've seen one other thanks to years of hunting but New Mr Vampire is the only one I have access to now. I keep hoping some streaming platform out there will take mercy and upload them one day but they are just so painfully rare
@@porcorosso4330if you're talking about the movies which were actually filmed in the 80s and 90s it's hard to find them on VHS. But yes it's fairly easy if you looking for East Asian films in the net in the right place. To be perfectly clear ofcourse it would be in the same language, it was never ment for western audience. And if you are referring what was originally spoken in, Cantonese, that was never changed to Mandarin. And those two are technically not different languages but simply dialects since they are both Chinese languages.
@@dmraven Cantonese can really be considered it's own language. We don't call french, Italian, Spanish a dielect of Latin. Also Cantonese and Mandarin may not really share the same language origin. Since Mandarin is derived from northern languages and Cantonese is a southern language.
My introduction to the Jiangshi was in a movie called The Jitters (1989). It was an American made movie and was a mix of horror and comedy. I must have watched it 20 times on VHS.
My fiancée is the same way, she is absolutely TERRIFIED of them because she used to watch those movies in her younger years. Well that and we also played a Jiangshi VR game which I’m pretty sure traumatized her 😥
I used to have nightmares about jiangshi, couldn't sleep at night and was scared of noises lol. Most of the jiangshi movies I watched were comedy horror, but they all gave me trauma.
Aw man, and no mention of the great segment in Sleeping Dogs or the major use of the influence in Shaman King! I've also heard that the hopping was due to the deceased having been bound/swaddled below the waist because of not being properly finished/prepped for burial. But this was so cool to learn! I'm glad the distinction between them and other beings like vampires and zombies was made and that the sociological history of Hong Kong influencing it was outlined.
My first encounter with these in pop culture goes back to Super Mario Land on the Game Boy (old Nintendo hand-held from back in the day). In that iteration they're called Pionpi, but the distinctive outfit and hopping movements were clearly based on these tales. Fascinating to learn about the real folklore behind them.
It’s also interesting that the Jiangshi is depicted wearing the Qing era robes. The Qing dynasty is dynasty established by foreign conquerors - the Manchu. While China saw an unprecedented prosperity during emperor Qianglong’s reign, the last decades of the empire, especially after the Opium War, were underscored by widespread corruption and decadence. The Qing court was mostly absent from local affairs, leaving the administration to local governors and petty officials, who in turn like carrion on a cadaver embezzled and stole from the local treasuries. This together with colonial exploitation, endless rebellions and banditry caused contemporaries to give the moniker ‘dead man of Asia’ to the Qing. It is fitting that a restless corpse monster who is sucking the life force out of ordinary Chinese to be depicted in the courtly dress of the Qing.
I really love traditional Chinese folklore and after rewarching Big Trouble in Little China this past Saturday came across Mr Vampire and Encounters of the Spooky Kind while looking up similar movies. I hadn't gotten around to watching them yet but after this videos serendipitous appearance I definitely will this weekend.
Im pretty sure even in the kung fu panda legend of awesomeness show there was an episode where they were dealing with Jiangshi, and that Po even turned into one.
Ah Mr Vampire, one of my favourite childhood films. Thanks for a great video, from a British born Chinese that has not been taught about of of these myths.
Jiang-shi are so interesting. I know you only have so much time to talk about your subjects, but there is so, SO much more to these undead ghosts. There was even a time where it was considered beneficial if you saw the corpse of a loved one hopping about. Also, love the little shout out to my girl Hsien-Ko!
I can look past the "jiangshi" pronunciation, but that is definitely not how "wuxia" is pronounced 😅 I'm not hating though, this was a fun dive into jiangshi lore
Just look up how to pronounce things before you make a video... if you're already doing all this research it's the least you can do is pronounce the subject of the video correctly.
Great stuff, Dr. Z! When this channel was launched I wondered if there was enough monsters to keep the channel going, but I realize now there's so many I didn't know! You'll probably never run out.👻☠🧛♂👹👺
Thanks for the introduction. Jiangchi are one of my favorites for a few reasons. Remember reading stories about them in supermarket quarter quarterlies. Forgot to mention how to ward them off. Running water. They can’t cross flowing bodies of water.
"One more thing, to return everyone's chi, we must find a toadstool growing in a graveyard, put it in the jiangshi's left sock, and toss it into a river." . . . "You're making this up, aren't you?"
OMG this brings back so many memories.When I was a kid I had a DVD disk that had 8 Hong Kong Jiangsi movies. I kept watching it over and over again. For me it’s more about comedy than horror, it’s so fun and campy.
This vid is a fascinating deep dive into the rich history and evolution of the jiangshi in Chinese culture and beyond. I really appreciate how it connects the traditional folklore with modern interpretations in movies, comics, and games, showing how this unique undead figure has been adapted and reimagined over time. The exploration of cultural and religious shifts during the Qing Dynasty and how they influenced the perception of jiangshi adds another layer of depth to understanding these creatures. Kudos to Dr. Zarka for making complex cultural history so accessible and engaging.
I will never forget my introduction to this mythology as a child, it was on KidsWB channel 11 via Jackie Chan Adventures cartoon and the particular episode in which the chans fought the demon was simultaneously both one of the creepiest and funniest of the series.
I was so excited to see this video pop up! I was really curious about more of the lore of the Jiangshi, and I'm really glad to see it properly explained. Plus, now I see where some of the misconceptions I'd read about as a kid came from. Thank you so much!
"One more thing, to return everyone's chi, we must find a toadstool growing in a graveyard, put it in the jiangshi's left sock, and toss it into a river." . . . "You're making this up, aren't you?"
Sammo Hung (Jackie Chan's fellow Peking Opera schoolmate) was responsible for starting the jiangshi/horror comedy movie craze in Hong Kong in the 1980s with Encounters Of The Spooky Kind (also known as Spooky Encounters). He even stars in that movie. He was one of the executive producers of Mr. Vampire, which became a massive hit. I really appreciate that these movies were acknowledged in this video (and not made fun of, even though they are comedies). Those are some Hong Kong cinema classics! Also nice to see Rigor Mortis in this as well! Great video!
The Mr.Vampire series is very dear to my heart, because not only do i like horror movies (and it got comedic elements too), it also give me a glimpse in HK cinema (and to further extent, HK itself) in the 1980s. It's part of the experience of knowing what my family watched. Recently, I couldn't stop binge watching HK dramas from the 1980s. Also people should try watching more HK horror films, they very underrated
I am really impressed by the amount of work and understanding you all put into researching Jiang Shi and its historical ties to real life during the Qing Dynasty. Amazing! Keep up the good work!
would absolutely love an episode for a monster from Black Myth Wukong! The lore is so deep i’m sure there is more than enough material to make a good episode ❤
Growing up I watched these movies and I love it! Thank you for sharing and making these movies known to those don't know. They are awesome, check them out those who haven't or have no idea about it.
Jackie Chan's cartoon series from the 00's had a Jiangshi as a villain and they were the main enemies of one of the Super Sentai series in Japan (the series we get Power Rangers from). This was a great video!
This was such an awesome video regarding Asian's folk lore on the undead & supernatural. The things you have shared has made me understand certain aspects of it through those 80s - 90s Hong Kong movies in particular the Mr Vampire movie series & ghost movies. I honestly stumbled upon this video by luck when I was searching for Asian ghost and supernatural documentaries
You got 2 monsters mixed up the starving ghost legend(餓死鬼) with kwashiokor symptoms stems from war time refugees who turned to canibalism, While the jiangshi in imperial robe is something different, the hopping motion and blood and soul sucking is derived from the practice of corpse transport(趕屍) and popularized by 80s cantonese cinema in pop culture
holy a whole video dedicated to Chinese zombie, at least it's what I called them when I was a kid, didn't know what they're officially called. I think I've watched all the Mr Vampire movies back when I was kid, I wasn't scared at all, I think the movie was cool, unlike other horror movies. It was one of my favorite horror movies, and oh damn she didn't even miss to mention the Capcom Jiangshi character. Mr vampire was so popular me and my friends were playing pretend copying the movie.
Most people of Chinese descent of a certain age probably know them from the 殭屍先生 movies. (I only recently found out 林正英 was just 44 when he died. I thought he was much older.)
And he was the Stunt coordinator in Bruce Lee's films, despite that he was more younger than Bruce Lee. Also, he was a Wing Chun practitioner. He was a nice person.
I hope I'm not putting my foot in my mouth here, but I grew up with these films and while I've learned a lot of the plausible influences to the myth of the Jiangshi from this video, I have some reservations over the definition of "wuxia cinema" (which I'm assuming is referring to "武侠戏") towards the end of the film, and if they should be accurately be attributed to being a part of the genre. As quick points of reference, there are wuxia shows where comedy does not play a role (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon would probably be the most notable example of this among western audiences), as well as the more-modern "XianXia" (仙侠) genre that are of a more supernatural-nature and could be a more fitting umbrella to park those films... ... having said that, my family and I did simply referred to those movies collectively as "ghost films" (鬼戏).
While some obscure minor fraction of the wuxia genre may contain mentions or even depictions of jiangshi, yeah, by & large they ain't considered part of the genre.
As a american born chinese I am glad my mom taught me cantonese. Mr. Vampire series is so good with Lam Ching Ying. Especially if you understand cantonese. I always rewatch them once in a while.
They are also why many Chinese buildings have a "Jiangshi Step" at the front door (a REALLY large difference between street level and ground level inside). Since Jiangshi can't bend their legs, the step supposedly keeps them from getting in.
Jiangshi have also appeared in Tokusatsu, in the 2007 Super Sentai series Gekiranger, the Grunts called the Rinshi are based on the famous creature. Mostly because it was another series centered around something connected to China, specifically martial arts.
When I was a kid (probably around 1988), my family went on vacation. I went to an arcade and there was an AWESOME game with these creatures. I remember thinking "Wow! What are those monsters? I've never seen anything like this before". I played that game quite a bit that summer. I looked online but can't seem to find anything definitive. If anyone knows its name please comment and let me know.
I literally just took a break from watching “In Search of Darkness 3” where they talk about 80’s horror movies with hopping vampires and zombies. The Matrix is glitching on me.
Fantastic overview and history lesson. While they can be called vampires or zombies I see them more of their own thing like mummies. Because mummies can just be a murderous corpse with some tellings having it drain life force it also often has curses and other magic spells. Like mummies they are very tied to whatever culture they are drawing from so obviously Egyptian mummies often control scarabs,sand powrrs, etc while they may control jaguars if Aztec inspired or control the snow if Himalayan. Plus they are very much of the past, a vampire may adapt throughout time while mummies and jiangshi are very much of a specific ancient time period
love the content and the dive into jiangshi! but please check pronunciations or get a second opinion if you're not used to reading romanized chinese words 😭 8:58 "wux-ia" was so jarring i had to pause the video 🥲 very informative otherwise!
I've been doing karate forever, and when I was growing up, the 'Muricans always called it "Woo Shoo" and I remember someone specifically saying "What's Wuhk-sia" when they saw it written down for the first time. In fairness, I too said "wooshoo" before I knew how it was pronounced (I'm from the US but I'm not a 'Murican,) and tho I adjusted my pronunciation for it, I DO still say "Kuh-rah-tee" for karate despite knowing the correct pronunciation, so who am I to judge?
My first exposure to Jiangshi was the last level in Super Mario World for the Game Boy. Back then I had no idea what they were, I just figured it was another weird video game enemy.
Those Mr. Vampire movies are *SO GOOD!* The Criterion Channel streamed them last year & I can still barely believe how quickly I watched the lot. (TW/CW for sensitive folks, tho... There are some chickens & a snake killed onscreen.)
Funeral traditions from around the world might be an interesting video topic for this channel.
bring on that trans-generational trauma!!!
They cover a lot of them over at the Ask A Mortician channel.
@@itwasagoodideaatthetime7980- Caitlyn also wrote a book about funeral customs.
I agree.
Shew that would take a while, even in the Appalachias alone many traditional funeral traditions varied heavily from holler to holler
growing up with the myth of jiangshi, my friends and i used to dress up as them as kids, slapping yellow post-it notes on our foreheads and jumping around in our style of tag / catch. it's nice to learn more about the lore we used to laugh about all the time lol
it's not a myth...
@burburchacha really?? Have you seen one? And if its real why is it only in China?
Someone needs to make Post-it Notes with pre-printed spells.
@@hanng1242 3M needs to improve their adhesives to prevent undead uprisings...
@@dhj-i8g That explains our struggles with keeping them in the ground 😱😱😱
Kudos to PBS. In my 40-something years as a Chinese immigrant in the US, I have never seen Jiangshi mentioned by Western media (I in fact watched Mr. Vampire when it was released in Hong Kong). Thank you for giving such a detailed depiction of this traditional Chinese mythical horror character.
My fave Cantonese show.
Although her pronunciation is cringy
It's been taught in China history classes, under folklore & religion sections, for decades in US colleges. Got packaged into saleable (and profitable) films for a US / Western audience is a different story.
The corpse driver legends were also used for cover by smugglers during the Qing dynasty and early republic period. They would warn a village that the corpse drivers were coming and tell everyone to stay inside to keep safe then the smugglers would be able to pass through the village without being bothered by law enforcement.
There's a rather good film with that as an essential part of the central plot.
@@annagettings4675what film?
@@troublemaker731 Had to Google like mad to find it again but it's called Taoist Priest. Comedy/Mystery/Horror. Its fun. There are more serious ones but they are so much harder to find. Enjoy 🙂
@@annagettings4675 i've watched a lot of Jiangshi film but never heard about this, haha
@@heeyoungabc8688 I'm a geek! A total geek! 😂
First off, wanted to give big respect to Prof. Zarka for her pronunciation. She put a lot of effort and respect into it. There were some mistakes, but it’s totally understandable since she switches among numerous cultures and histories on this channel. Furthermore, the information was on point. This was a excellent overview of the jiangshi. Prof. Zarka reminded me of facts from my Chinese religion courses and brought up new info that I’d love to learn more about. Finally, great acknowledgements of Darkstalkers and Shang Chi! Definitely want to watch again!
Ugh, thank you! I try. It’s imperfect but I do my best 🖤-*Dr.Z*
@@pbsstoried for next time, just remember if you're going with Mandarin then "shi" is "sure" and "x" is like a sharp whistle-y "s." I learned so much in this video, thanks Dr. Zarka!
It's very confusing that some words like 西Xi 施Shi are pronounced with two distinctive vowels but somehow end with the same "i".
@@pbsstoriedNo problem Dr. Z! Your best was fine. Switching among different cultures every video and different pronunciations is a challenge. Again, you show good respect when you do so. And I think information is still rich and accurate. Keep it up 👍!
@@windseekervideo Pinyin is funny like that 😂. Tons of hours are spent by Mandarin learners contorting the mouth to get these sounds down 😅.
Fun fact: One of the aspects of chinese construction is a high threshold, it is said that the threshold could prevent jianshi from getting in since they couldn't get over it.
Them Chinese be playing Minecraft since 1700s.
I found a movie with these on Netflix once. Between the insanely comical hopping, trying to follow the subtitles, and an ample amount of alcohol it was one heck of an experience!
There are older movies where the hopping corpses are more risible than terrifying. _Tsui Hark's Vampire Hunters_ made them legitimately frightening.
Are you sure you didn't watch Power Rangers Jungle Fury which had this exact creature as the footsoldiers
@@cowboyquebecanimations3068- No subtitles on Power Rangers.
I've seen a few of those movies. Cheaply subtitled for the English-speaking audience, and plots that might have made sense to people familiar with Chinese legends and culture(s).
@@cowboyquebecanimations3068 there is Gekiranger too, where the jiangshi appear.
I once saw an episode of Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness where Po tells a scary story about the Jiang-shi on a blood moon night, later in the episode he has to fight not only Reanimated Jiang-shi but also Jiang-shi versions of the Furious Five
I immediately pop on over, as soon as they upload. I adore Dr. Emily Zarka. I hope she keeps on sharing folklore forever!!
Nice! It's always such a treat to see Eastern folklore on here. These have always been fascinating to me, not only because of the West's vampirization of them, but also the manipulation of them through the scroll placed on their foreheads.
Brings new meaning to, "Hop to it, boys!"
I have a DVD that has this very theme in it.
🤣 Only the Magician has them chained together and doing this goofy bounce walk down the road.
@@karmaalstad5588 Bones Malone and The Spooky Bois
@@EmnM2010
No, its an Asian film.
Yessss! I LOVE hopping Chinese vampires. My favorite cheesy horror movie I got very lucky to see when I was younger is called "New Mr Vampire" and it's an English dubbed old horror comedy that features a Chinese hopping Vampire in it. Apparently the Mr Vampire series is a rather large series of movies but they are SUPER rare to find in the US on dvd let alone digitally. I've seen one other thanks to years of hunting but New Mr Vampire is the only one I have access to now. I keep hoping some streaming platform out there will take mercy and upload them one day but they are just so painfully rare
You might be able to find some vcds from "yesAsia" if you are lucky. It's in the original language of course...
oh!! love that series, i think there's about 3 series of mr vampire.
@@porcorosso4330if you're talking about the movies which were actually filmed in the 80s and 90s it's hard to find them on VHS. But yes it's fairly easy if you looking for East Asian films in the net in the right place.
To be perfectly clear ofcourse it would be in the same language, it was never ment for western audience. And if you are referring what was originally spoken in, Cantonese, that was never changed to Mandarin. And those two are technically not different languages but simply dialects since they are both Chinese languages.
@@dmraven
Cantonese can really be considered it's own language.
We don't call french, Italian, Spanish a dielect of Latin.
Also Cantonese and Mandarin may not really share the same language origin.
Since Mandarin is derived from northern languages and Cantonese is a southern language.
dvd will ruin it with dubbed voice and re-dubbed new sound effects, try to get vhs version, if you can't, then oh well
Love expanding my catalogue of monsters outside the European/Ango-American sphere. Thanks for this one!
is that the legendary Sammo Hung in Encounters of the Spooky kind? wow!
My introduction to the Jiangshi was in a movie called The Jitters (1989). It was an American made movie and was a mix of horror and comedy. I must have watched it 20 times on VHS.
Haven't u watched Mr vampire movies????
@edchanful nope, never heard of them.
@@Thanos88888 Its on utube, but not all of em
Jiangshi was my childhood nightmare 😂 i always sleep with my back facing the window, scared that i might accidentally see jiangshi being transported
My fiancée is the same way, she is absolutely TERRIFIED of them because she used to watch those movies in her younger years.
Well that and we also played a Jiangshi VR game which I’m pretty sure traumatized her 😥
I would hop around in school to scare my classmates.
I used to have nightmares about jiangshi, couldn't sleep at night and was scared of noises lol. Most of the jiangshi movies I watched were comedy horror, but they all gave me trauma.
YESSS! THEYRE FINALLY TALKING ABOUT THEM! I freaking love these guys so much
Who?
Same I love jiangshi
Saaaaame!!! I love them so much!
Isn’t that illegal
@@Phlegethon No one said anything about smashing them the fact you jumped to that says a lot about you
My first exposure of the Jiangshi genre was the 1991 Kong Kong comedy film Crazy Safari, also known as The Gods Must Be Crazy III.
Aw man, and no mention of the great segment in Sleeping Dogs or the major use of the influence in Shaman King! I've also heard that the hopping was due to the deceased having been bound/swaddled below the waist because of not being properly finished/prepped for burial. But this was so cool to learn! I'm glad the distinction between them and other beings like vampires and zombies was made and that the sociological history of Hong Kong influencing it was outlined.
Why don't you have a pork bun in your hand?
Loved that Nightmare in North Point DLC!
My first encounter with these in pop culture goes back to Super Mario Land on the Game Boy (old Nintendo hand-held from back in the day). In that iteration they're called Pionpi, but the distinctive outfit and hopping movements were clearly based on these tales. Fascinating to learn about the real folklore behind them.
same!
i reckon the namr Pionpi stems from an onomatopeion for bouncing bc of their hopping around: ぴょんぴょん／ピョンピョン _pyonpyon_
Anybody else remember the Jiangshi heartless in Mulan’s world in Kingdom Hearts 2?
I remember those guys!
@@fariesz6786Added with the similarity of how the Japanese would read the original Chinese term, 'kyonshi'. & Pyonpi sounded cute.
I love that you covered this! For future reference: Jiang Shi (僵尸 jiāng shī) is pronounced like jeeahng shrr. Keep up the good work!
Fun fact: jiangshi often wears Qing dynasty clothing because they are the most common costumes on movie set.
It’s also interesting that the Jiangshi is depicted wearing the Qing era robes.
The Qing dynasty is dynasty established by foreign conquerors - the Manchu. While China saw an unprecedented prosperity during emperor Qianglong’s reign, the last decades of the empire, especially after the Opium War, were underscored by widespread corruption and decadence. The Qing court was mostly absent from local affairs, leaving the administration to local governors and petty officials, who in turn like carrion on a cadaver embezzled and stole from the local treasuries. This together with colonial exploitation, endless rebellions and banditry caused contemporaries to give the moniker ‘dead man of Asia’ to the Qing.
It is fitting that a restless corpse monster who is sucking the life force out of ordinary Chinese to be depicted in the courtly dress of the Qing.
Mr Vampire is one the greatest films of all time.
100%
Factsss 💯💯💯💯💯
Love that you’re doing videos on Chinese mythology :)
I really love traditional Chinese folklore and after rewarching Big Trouble in Little China this past Saturday came across Mr Vampire and Encounters of the Spooky Kind while looking up similar movies. I hadn't gotten around to watching them yet but after this videos serendipitous appearance I definitely will this weekend.
Im pretty sure even in the kung fu panda legend of awesomeness show there was an episode where they were dealing with Jiangshi, and that Po even turned into one.
Ah Mr Vampire, one of my favourite childhood films. Thanks for a great video, from a British born Chinese that has not been taught about of of these myths.
Jiang-shi are so interesting. I know you only have so much time to talk about your subjects, but there is so, SO much more to these undead ghosts. There was even a time where it was considered beneficial if you saw the corpse of a loved one hopping about. Also, love the little shout out to my girl Hsien-Ko!
Well, I can relate. I hopped straight to it when I saw this upload in my feed.
I can look past the "jiangshi" pronunciation, but that is definitely not how "wuxia" is pronounced 😅
I'm not hating though, this was a fun dive into jiangshi lore
I heard “wux” and was like “lol, wut?”. But woo shia gonna do?
I honestly laughed out loud with this. Thank you for the correction-*Dr.Z*
@@pbsstoried you need to ask dr Erica Brozovsky for help 😂😂
Just look up how to pronounce things before you make a video... if you're already doing all this research it's the least you can do is pronounce the subject of the video correctly.
@@RhymeMastaMasse agreed. Listen to the word 20 times and use the English equivalent sounds, don't just make them up based on how they're spelled.
Great stuff, Dr. Z! When this channel was launched I wondered if there was enough monsters to keep the channel going, but I realize now there's so many I didn't know! You'll probably never run out.👻☠🧛♂👹👺
Here’s hoping!🤞🏻 -*Dr.Z*
Thanks for mentioning the movie Mr. Vampire. It's one of my favorite childhood movies.
Mr. Vampire was my favorite film when I was little... It's both funny and scary but I would watch it over and over.
Thanks for the introduction. Jiangchi are one of my favorites for a few reasons.
Remember reading stories about them in supermarket quarter quarterlies.
Forgot to mention how to ward them off.
Running water.
They can’t cross flowing bodies of water.
Traditionally, neither can Western vampires.
@@julietfischer5056 and most Asian cryptids and Ghosts.
I believe they also can't pass through doors that have a raised threshold, for the obvious reason of they will trip?
@@Werewolfoverlord12- You meant 'can't' and your autocorrect failed you.
@@crimsonghost813- Ever notice how these terrifying beings have some of the most peculiar weaksauce weaknesses?
"One more thing, to return everyone's chi, we must find a toadstool growing in a graveyard, put it in the jiangshi's left sock, and toss it into a river."
. . .
"You're making this up, aren't you?"
"JACKIE!"
OMG this brings back so many memories.When I was a kid I had a DVD disk that had 8 Hong Kong Jiangsi movies. I kept watching it over and over again. For me it’s more about comedy than horror, it’s so fun and campy.
It’s truly nice to know there’s variety in the undead. Also, let’s call A24 to make the Jiangshi movie
I’ve been waiting for this episode for years! Thank you!
This vid is a fascinating deep dive into the rich history and evolution of the jiangshi in Chinese culture and beyond. I really appreciate how it connects the traditional folklore with modern interpretations in movies, comics, and games, showing how this unique undead figure has been adapted and reimagined over time. The exploration of cultural and religious shifts during the Qing Dynasty and how they influenced the perception of jiangshi adds another layer of depth to understanding these creatures. Kudos to Dr. Zarka for making complex cultural history so accessible and engaging.
I will never forget my introduction to this mythology as a child, it was on KidsWB channel 11 via Jackie Chan Adventures cartoon and the particular episode in which the chans fought the demon was simultaneously both one of the creepiest and funniest of the series.
I was so excited to see this video pop up! I was really curious about more of the lore of the Jiangshi, and I'm really glad to see it properly explained. Plus, now I see where some of the misconceptions I'd read about as a kid came from. Thank you so much!
I was hoping for it and super happy to see Hsien-Ko mentioned. She was always one of my favorite of the Darkstalkers
Is there anyone else who first heard about this monster from Jackie Chan Adventures?
I'm pretty sure that is where I first saw one.
Glad I'm not the only one who thought of this.
Yes!
I was just about to comment this.
"One more thing, to return everyone's chi, we must find a toadstool growing in a graveyard, put it in the jiangshi's left sock, and toss it into a river."
. . .
"You're making this up, aren't you?"
Thanks for covering this topic! I've been asking for it for a while!
Sammo Hung (Jackie Chan's fellow Peking Opera schoolmate) was responsible for starting the jiangshi/horror comedy movie craze in Hong Kong in the 1980s with Encounters Of The Spooky Kind (also known as Spooky Encounters). He even stars in that movie. He was one of the executive producers of Mr. Vampire, which became a massive hit. I really appreciate that these movies were acknowledged in this video (and not made fun of, even though they are comedies). Those are some Hong Kong cinema classics! Also nice to see Rigor Mortis in this as well! Great video!
The Mr.Vampire series is very dear to my heart, because not only do i like horror movies (and it got comedic elements too), it also give me a glimpse in HK cinema (and to further extent, HK itself) in the 1980s. It's part of the experience of knowing what my family watched. Recently, I couldn't stop binge watching HK dramas from the 1980s. Also people should try watching more HK horror films, they very underrated
There's alot of category III Films from Hong Kong. Like the serial killers etc.
I love that Emily put so much effort into pronouncing the words correctly. The best way to show you respect something.
Is this sarcasm? Some of her pronunciations and interpretations of the culture were pretty off.
@@Mobri never said she succeeded. But you can see the effort if you watch the whole video.
What effort 😂. She saying it like a typical white person, not hating just being real lol
@@billlam7756 but she TRIED to say it right. If you watch the whole video you will see that.
@@bioalkemisti I'm not hating on her, chill! I understand it's a challenge to non native lol relax dont do it...
There is a Jiangshi in the game Genshin Impact. Her name is QiQi and she heals your party by taking life from the enemy. She's super cute!
I hate that the english localization call her a zombie. Those are not the same!
Genshin Impact? Fuckin gross.
@@jayl5032 Okay? Don't play it. Why even comment?
@@Kenkire Because it's trash and you should know better.
@@jayl5032I don’t think it’s trash but your reaction is hilarious and I don’t know why 😂😂
I am really impressed by the amount of work and understanding you all put into researching Jiang Shi and its historical ties to real life during the Qing Dynasty. Amazing! Keep up the good work!
My first Jiangshi Love came with Darkstalkers. She was one of my favorite characters to play. 😊
Me too she was unique and weird. Her sister is the charm
And she was a demon hunter right?
@@gwyndolinds-en8yt yes
@@gwyndolinds-en8yt Correct! Very good.
the historical background was really fascinating. i love how the power struggles of clashing ideas (and also cultures and languages) unfold.
So nice seeing you at DragonCon this year. It was nice seeing you talk all about ghosts in person. Thank you for what you do and share.
would absolutely love an episode for a monster from Black Myth Wukong! The lore is so deep i’m sure there is more than enough material to make a good episode ❤
Thank you for reviewing this one. I've been requesting it for awhile.
Growing up I watched these movies and I love it! Thank you for sharing and making these movies known to those don't know. They are awesome, check them out those who haven't or have no idea about it.
Ooh, the bell thing reminds me of Garth Nix's Sabriel series where the hero uses a series of bells to control evil beings.
A yearning for this folklore made Garth Nix's Sabriel a more thrilling read
Grew up on 80s and 90s HK movies. Loved the hopping vampires.
Ridiculously informative as always. Thanks Doc
Jackie Chan's cartoon series from the 00's had a Jiangshi as a villain and they were the main enemies of one of the Super Sentai series in Japan (the series we get Power Rangers from). This was a great video!
Both movies are 80's classic. So freakin good for its time.
This was such an awesome video regarding Asian's folk lore on the undead & supernatural. The things you have shared has made me understand certain aspects of it through those 80s - 90s Hong Kong movies in particular the Mr Vampire movie series & ghost movies.
I honestly stumbled upon this video by luck when I was searching for Asian ghost and supernatural documentaries
You gotta love that both example of of TV and video games of Jiangshi is Hsien -Ko from DarkStalkers
To anyone who rarely watch horror films but love kung fu comedy, Mr Vampire series is a must-watch
In fact, there is one character from a fighting game called Darkstalkers who is a Jiangshi and her name is Hsien-Ko.
Hsien-Ko gets shown in the video!
10:15
And her sister is the charm on her face
The waifu variation
@@Watch-0w1 I was going to coment that
The Mr. Vampire movies were my childhood! lol Love this coverage.
These are an enemy in Super Mario Land for the original Game Boy. Never knew they were based on anything from actual myths. Fascinating!
You got 2 monsters mixed up the starving ghost legend(餓死鬼) with kwashiokor symptoms stems from war time refugees who turned to canibalism,
While the jiangshi in imperial robe is something different, the hopping motion and blood and soul sucking is derived from the practice of corpse transport(趕屍) and popularized by 80s cantonese cinema in pop culture
First time I saw a movie with Jiangshi is Crazy Safari(A.K.A The Gods Must Be Crazy III). I really enjoyed that weird movie.
Wow thanks for this video! I always thought they were just hopping vampires based on the kung fu movies I saw as a kid.
holy a whole video dedicated to Chinese zombie, at least it's what I called them when I was a kid, didn't know what they're officially called. I think I've watched all the Mr Vampire movies back when I was kid, I wasn't scared at all, I think the movie was cool, unlike other horror movies. It was one of my favorite horror movies, and oh damn she didn't even miss to mention the Capcom Jiangshi character. Mr vampire was so popular me and my friends were playing pretend copying the movie.
Thank you for always covering such unique monsters. Love learning through this channel.
I loved watching those movies and they freaked me out so much when I was a kid.
My very 1st was "Mr. Vampire II (1986)".
I was hoping somebody else watched that one. All of the movies with One-eyebrow Priest are good, there are 5 or 6 of them
Most people of Chinese descent of a certain age probably know them from the 殭屍先生 movies. (I only recently found out 林正英 was just 44 when he died. I thought he was much older.)
i kmow of this from the "God's must be crazy" movie where he encounters some Chinese tourists in Africa.
lam ching-ying was a complete legend...
And he was the Stunt coordinator in Bruce Lee's films, despite that he was more younger than Bruce Lee. Also, he was a Wing Chun practitioner. He was a nice person.
Ah
A man of culture
The 90s Hong Kong movie is the goldmine
I hope I'm not putting my foot in my mouth here, but I grew up with these films and while I've learned a lot of the plausible influences to the myth of the Jiangshi from this video, I have some reservations over the definition of "wuxia cinema" (which I'm assuming is referring to "武侠戏") towards the end of the film, and if they should be accurately be attributed to being a part of the genre.
As quick points of reference, there are wuxia shows where comedy does not play a role (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon would probably be the most notable example of this among western audiences), as well as the more-modern "XianXia" (仙侠) genre that are of a more supernatural-nature and could be a more fitting umbrella to park those films...
... having said that, my family and I did simply referred to those movies collectively as "ghost films" (鬼戏).
I grew up with these movies too. Definitely different genres. 鬼片，恐怖片，even 恐怖喜劇片 but never have I heard them being classified as 武俠片
Yeah, I would also just group them into horror and horror comedy.
Maybe it's kind of like you don't find Hainan chicken in Hainan. It's just chicken.
While some obscure minor fraction of the wuxia genre may contain mentions or even depictions of jiangshi, yeah, by & large they ain't considered part of the genre.
Dr. Zarka, this is easily my favorite RUclips show. You never cease to deliver quality content. Have you considered covering the Alabama white thang?
As a american born chinese I am glad my mom taught me cantonese. Mr. Vampire series is so good with Lam Ching Ying. Especially if you understand cantonese. I always rewatch them once in a while.
Dr. Zarka, you impress me, you are equally as beautiful on the inside as on the outside. Your research is fascinating! Girl Power. ✌🏻💕
I never thought I'd see my favorite fighting game, Darkstalkers referenced in a video for PBS.
Awesome!
I remember watching Mr. Vampire as a kid. Great movie!
Saving this and all your new stuff for the season to binge on halloween. Love your content and meaningful delivery of good script.
They are also why many Chinese buildings have a "Jiangshi Step" at the front door (a REALLY large difference between street level and ground level inside). Since Jiangshi can't bend their legs, the step supposedly keeps them from getting in.
Jiangshi have also appeared in Tokusatsu, in the 2007 Super Sentai series Gekiranger, the Grunts called the Rinshi are based on the famous creature. Mostly because it was another series centered around something connected to China, specifically martial arts.
Mr. Vampire was a classic back in the day.
When I was a kid (probably around 1988), my family went on vacation. I went to an arcade and there was an AWESOME game with these creatures. I remember thinking "Wow! What are those monsters? I've never seen anything like this before".
I played that game quite a bit that summer. I looked online but can't seem to find anything definitive. If anyone knows its name please comment and let me know.
I literally just took a break from watching “In Search of Darkness 3” where they talk about 80’s horror movies with hopping vampires and zombies. The Matrix is glitching on me.
Fantastic overview and history lesson. While they can be called vampires or zombies I see them more of their own thing like mummies. Because mummies can just be a murderous corpse with some tellings having it drain life force it also often has curses and other magic spells. Like mummies they are very tied to whatever culture they are drawing from so obviously Egyptian mummies often control scarabs,sand powrrs, etc while they may control jaguars if Aztec inspired or control the snow if Himalayan. Plus they are very much of the past, a vampire may adapt throughout time while mummies and jiangshi are very much of a specific ancient time period
AH HERE WE GO!!!!! IVE BEEN HOPING YOU WOULD DO THIS! THANK YOU!!!
Thank you for another fascinating video ,
Dr Z ! ✌️
love the content and the dive into jiangshi! but please check pronunciations or get a second opinion if you're not used to reading romanized chinese words 😭 8:58 "wux-ia" was so jarring i had to pause the video 🥲 very informative otherwise!
It was so jarring, that it felt like a gut punch.
I've been doing karate forever, and when I was growing up, the 'Muricans always called it "Woo Shoo" and I remember someone specifically saying "What's Wuhk-sia" when they saw it written down for the first time. In fairness, I too said "wooshoo" before I knew how it was pronounced (I'm from the US but I'm not a 'Murican,) and tho I adjusted my pronunciation for it, I DO still say "Kuh-rah-tee" for karate despite knowing the correct pronunciation, so who am I to judge?
That explains why I haven't heard of any Chinese Vampire movies for many years
My favorite ghost. Love every one of them I get to see in games.
Great vid. Great hair. Thicc bibliography. Another Dr. Z banger.
My first exposure to Jiangshi was the last level in Super Mario World for the Game Boy. Back then I had no idea what they were, I just figured it was another weird video game enemy.
jiang shi was my childhood horror movies in the 80s... before vampires or zombies was introduce to me... really nostalgic ghost story... lolz
Everyday I hope we are getting closer to a Kitsune/Huli Jing/Kumiho episode!
As a kid I always thought the poes you collect in Zelda Twilight princess were a reference to Edgar allen poe but this makes way more sense
So cool to learn about these culture specific monsters
Those Mr. Vampire movies are *SO GOOD!* The Criterion Channel streamed them last year & I can still barely believe how quickly I watched the lot. (TW/CW for sensitive folks, tho... There are some chickens & a snake killed onscreen.)