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1、Ghosts in Chinese cultureThere are many references toghosts in Chinese culture. EvenConfuciussaid, Respect ghosts and gods, but keep away from them.1The ghosts take many forms depending on the way in which the person died, and are often harmful. Many of the Chinese ghost beliefs have been accepted b
2、y neighboring cultures, notably Japan and south-east Asia. Ghost beliefs are closely associated with the traditional Chinese religion based on ancestor worship, many of which were incorporated inTaoism. Later beliefs were influenced byBuddhism, and in turn influenced and created uniquely Chinese Bud
3、dhist beliefs.Many Chinese people today consider that it is possible to contact the spirits of their ancestors through a medium, and that the ancestor can help their descendants if properly respected and rewarded. The annualghost festivalis celebrated by Chinese around the world. On this dayghostsan
4、dspirits, including those of the deceased ancestors, come out from thelower realm. Ghosts are described in classical Chinese texts, and continue to be depicted in modern literature and movies.Zhong Kui(Chinese:鍾馗) is the vanquisher of ghosts and evil beings. Portraits of him were hung in Chinese hou
5、ses at the end of the Chinese lunar year to scare away evil spirits and demons. He is depicted as fierce man with a black face and a comic beard brandishing a magic sword. Zhong Kui is said to be himself the ghost of a man who failed to pass the civil service examinations and committed suicide. He t
6、hen became a ghost hunter. There is a story that theEmperor Xuanzong of Tangonce dreamed that a small ghost stole the purse of the imperial consort. A larger ghost - Zhong Kui - captured the smaller one and returned the purse.6Practices and beliefseditMediumsThe use ofmediumsto communicate with spir
7、its is an important practice in traditional Chinese culture, and is closely linked to ancestor worship. The medium (mun mai poh, 問覡|問米) orask rice womanhelps to ask the ancestor what they require on the other side, and these needs can be provided through the burning of paper effigies. In return, the
8、 spirit can be of great help in matters such as winning the lottery or being admitted to low-cost government housing.15The person visiting the medium will take a cup of rice from their kitchen to identify the family. Through these communications the dead help the living while the living help the dea
9、d.16The name involves a pun, since with a change in intonation ask rice becomes spirit medium.17Ghost festivalThe Ghost Festival (Chinese:盂蘭節) is a traditional Chinese festival celebrated by Chinese in many countries. The fifteenth day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar is called Ghost Day a
10、nd the seventh month in general is regarded as the Ghost Month (鬼月), in whichghostsandspirits, including those of the deceased ancestors, come out from thelower realm. Distinct from both theQingming Festival(in Spring) andChung Yeung Festival(in Autumn) in which living descendants pay homage to thei
11、r deceased ancestors, on Ghost Day, the deceased are believed to visit the living. The festival has a long history. A Japanese pilgrim gave a detailed account of the Ghost festival in theTangcapital ofChang-anin the year 840. In those day the festival was usually called by its Buddhist name ofyu lan
12、 pen.18The Buddhists associate the Chung Yuan festival with the legend of Moginlin saving his mother from the underworld. In this story, the hero learns that his mother is starving in the underworld. He travels there, overcoming many difficulties, and offers her food. However, the food bursts into f
13、lames before she can eat. In despair, he asksSakyamunifor advice. The Buddha tells him to find ten monks who will fast and pray together with him on the 15th day of the seventh moon. Moginlin follows this advice and finally manages to release his mother from her torments.19On the fifteenth day the r
14、ealms of Heaven and Hell and the realm of the living are open and both Taoists and Buddhists would perform rituals to transmute and absolve the sufferings of the deceased. Intrinsic to the Ghost Month isancestor worship, where traditionally the filial piety of descendants extends to their ancestors
15、even after their deaths. Activities during the month would include preparing ritualistic food offerings, burningincense, and burningjoss paper, apapier-macheform of material items such as clothes, gold and other fine goods for the visiting spirits of the ancestors. Elaborate meals would be served wi
16、th empty seats for each of the deceased in the family treating the deceased as if they are still living. Ancestor worship is what distinguishes Qingming Festival from Ghost Festival because the latter includes paying respects to all deceased, including the same and younger generations, while the for
17、mer only includes older generations. Other festivities may include, buying and releasing miniature paper boats andlanternson water, which signifies giving directions to the lost ghosts and spirits of the ancestors and other deities.18The modern festival of Chung Yuan Putu or Mid-origin Passage to Un
18、iversal Salvation owes its origins to both the BuddhistUllambana(Deliverance) Festival and the Taoist Chinese Ghost Festival, both of which honor the spirits of the departed, and which have now been combined. Historically, families offer sacrifices of the newly harvested grain to departed ancestors
19、on this day. In some parts of China, believers make small roadside fires where they burn paper money and other offerings to appease the restless spirits that have temporarily been released from the underworld.1During the ghost festival, people try to avoid outdoor activities, getting married or movi
20、ng to a new house-especially at night. It is thought that if a ghost finds someone in the street and follows them home, they and their family will have bad luck for the next year. People should also avoid bodies of water on Ghost day, since they may be caught and drowned by a Shu Gu (水鬼), a ghost wh
21、o had died through drowning and wants to return to life. The Ghost Festival shares some similarities with the predominantlyMexicanobservance ofEl Da de los Muertos. Due to theme of ghosts and spirits, the festival is sometimes also known as the Chinese Halloween.2Classical literatureFengshen Bang(Ch
22、inese:封神榜,The Investiture of the Gods) is one of the major vernacular Chinese epicfantasynovels written in theMing Dynasty. The story is set in the era of the decliningShang Dynastyand rise of theZhou Dynasty. It intertwines numerous elements ofChinese mythology, including gods and goddesses, immort
23、als and spirits. The novel is prominent in modern Chinese culture and has been adapted into numerous television series and video games, even inJapanese popular culture.27Journey to the West(Chinese:西遊記) is one of theFour Great Classical NovelsofChinese literature. Originally published anonymously in
24、 the 1590s during theMing Dynasty, its authorship has been ascribed to the scholarWu Chengensince the 20th century. It tells the story of the monk Xunzng and his quest to bring back Buddhist scriptures from Vulture Peak in India. Although some of the obstacle Xunzng encounters are political and invo
25、lve ordinary human beings, they more frequently consist of run-ins with various goblins and ogres, many of in whom turn out to be the earthly manifestations of heavenly beings (whose sins will be negated by eating the flesh of Xunzng) or animal-spirits with enough Taoist spiritual merit to assume se
26、mi-human forms.28Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio,Chinese:聊齋誌異) is a collection of nearly five hundred mostly supernatural tales written byPu SonglinginClassical Chineseduring the earlyQing Dynasty. The compilation was first circulated in manuscript form before it was published posthumously. So
27、urces differ in their account of the year of publication. One source claims the Strange Tales were published by Pus grandson in 1740. However, the earliest existing print version today dates to 1766. Pu is believed to have completed the majority of the tales sometime in 1679, though he could have ad
28、ded entries as late as 1707.29MoviesThe theme of ghosts is popular in Chinese cinema, including films made in Hong Kong, Singapore and the mainland. They may be based on traditional themes.A Chinese Ghost Story(Chinese:倩女幽魂) is a1987 Hong Kongromantic comedy - horror film starringLeslie Cheung,Joey
29、Wong, andWu Ma, directed byChing Siu-tung, and produced byTsui Hark. The story is loosely based on a short story inStrange Stories from a Chinese Studio. It was a huge success in Hong Kong,South KoreaandJapanand sparked a trend of folklore ghost films in theHK film industry. The movie won many award
30、s.3031Ten years later,A Chinese Ghost Story: The Tsui Hark Animationwas based on the same story. The firstChinese animatedfeature filmfromHong Kong, it was produced byTsui Harkand his production company,Film Workshop.32Chinese ghost movies may have more modern themes.The Ghost Inside(Chinese:疑神疑鬼;pi
31、nyin:Yi shen yi gui) is a2005Chinesehorror filmdirected byHerman Yau, and starringMainlandactors,Liu YeandGong Beibiand Taiwanese actressBarbie Hsu. The film was produced by theChina Film Groupand at the time of its filming was the most expensive horror film ever made in mainland China. It tells the
32、 story of a young mother fleeing an abusive husband who moves into an apartment haunted by the previous occupants, a mother who had thrown her daughter out of the window before jumping to her death herself.33The Eye(traditional Chinese:見鬼;simplified Chinese:见鬼;pinyin:Jin Gu) is a 2002 Hong Kong-Sing
33、aporean-Thaihorror filmdirected by thePang brothers. The film spawned two sequels by the Pang brothers,The Eye 2andThe Eye 10. The film is based on the story of a young woman who receives an eye transplant, which gives her supernatural powers. There are two remakes of this film,Naina, made in 2005 i
34、n India andThe Eye, a 2008 Hollywood production starringJessica Albaand produced byPeter Chanand Paula Wagner.34The Maidis a2005Singaporeanhorror filmtelling of amaidrecently arriving from thePhilippines. She has to acclimate herself to the customs of theChineseGhost Month, during which she struggle
35、s withsupernatural forces. The maid is employed by aTeochewoperafamily, a family with many secrets, who give her a place to stay in their dilapidatedshophouse. The film broke thebox officerecord in Singapore for the horror genre, won the European Fantastic Film Festival Federation (EFFFF) Asian Film
36、 Award at the 10thPuchon International Fantastic Film Festival(PiFan).35Ghosts in Western CultureIn traditional belief andfiction, aghostis thesoulorspiritof a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of theapparition of ghostsvar
37、y widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to realistic, lifelike visions. The deliberate attempt to contact the spirit of a deceased person is known asnecromancy, or in spiritism as asance.The belief in manifestations of the spirits of the dead is widespread,
38、 dating back toanimismorancestor worshipin pre-literate cultures. Certain religious practicesfuneral rites,exorcisms, and some practices ofspiritualismandritual magicare specifically designed to appease the spirits of the dead. Ghosts are generally described as solitary essences that haunt particula
39、rlocations, objects, or people they were associated with in life, though stories of phantom armies,ghost trains,phantom ships, and even ghostanimalshave also been recounted.TerminologyFurther information:spirit,soul (spirit),anima,genius (mythology),andGeistThe English wordghostcontinuesOld Englishg
40、st, from a hypotheticalCommon Germanic*gaistaz. It is common toWest Germanic, but lacking in North and East Germanic (the equivalent word inGothicisahma,Old Norsehasandim.,ndf.). The pre-Germanic form was*ghoisdo-s, apparently from a root denoting fury, anger reflected in Old Norsegeisato rage. The
41、Germanic word is recorded as masculine only, but likely continues a neuters-stem. The original meaning of the Germanic word would thus have been an animating principle of themind, in particular capable of excitation and fury (comparer). InGermanic paganism, Germanic Mercury, and the laterOdin, was a
42、t the same time theconductor of the deadand the lord of fury leading theWild Hunt.Besides denoting the human spirit or soul, both of the living and the deceased, the Old English word is used as a synonym of Latinspiritusalso in the meaning of breath or blast from the earliest attestations (9th centu
43、ry). It could also denote any good or evil spirit, i.e. angels and demons; theAnglo-Saxongospel refers to thedemonic possessionof Matthew 12:43 asse unclna gast. Also from the Old English period, the word could denote the spirit of God, viz. the Holy Ghost. The now prevailing sense of the soul of a
44、deceased person, spoken of as appearing in a visible form only emerges inMiddle English(14th century). The modern noun does, however, retain a wider field of application, extending on one hand to soul, spirit, vital principle, mind or psyche, the seat of feeling, thought and moral judgement; on the
45、other hand used figuratively of any shadowy outline, fuzzy or unsubstantial image, in optics, photography and cinematography especially a flare, secondary image or spurious signal.4The synonymspookis aDutchloanword, akin toLow Germanspk(of uncertain etymology); it entered the English language via th
46、eUnited Statesin the 19th century.5678Alternative words in modern usage includespectre(from Latinspectrum), the Scottishwraith(of obscure origin),phantom(via French ultimately from Greekphantasma, comparefantasy) andapparition. The termshadeinclassical mythologytranslates Greek ,9or Latinumbra,10in
47、reference to the notion of spirits in theGreek underworld. Haint is a synonym for ghost used in regional English of the southern United States,11and the haint tale is a common feature of southern oral and literary tradition.12The termpoltergeistis a German word, literally a noisy ghost, for a spirit
48、 said to manifest itself by invisibly moving and influencing objects.13Wraithis aScottishdialectal word for ghost, spectre or apparition. It came to be used in Scottish Romanticist literature, and acquired the more general or figurative sense of portent or omen. In 18th- to 19th-century Scottish literature, it was also applied to aquatic spirits. The word has no commonly accepted etymology;OEDnotes of obscure origin only. An association with
