Jiangshi: The Stiff Corpse

The Jiangshi ("Stiff Corpse") is the definitive undead of Chinese folklore. It occupies a middle ground between the Western zombie and vampire. It is a reanimated corpse, often dressed in the official robes of the Qing Dynasty, with greenish-white skin and long claws. Its movement is its most terrifying trait. Due to rigor mortis, its joints are frozen. It cannot walk or run. It hops. It moves with arms outstretched, bounding forward like a relentless, supernatural piston.

Unlike Western vampires that crave blood (hematophagy), the Jiangshi feeds on Qi (Life Force). It is a blind predator. It cannot see with its eyes. It tracks prey by detecting their breath.

• The defense: If you hold your breath, you become invisible to the Jiangshi. This leads to the classic standoff: the victim turning blue from hypoxia while the monster hops inches from their face, waiting for a single exhale.

Taoist priests are the specialists in Jiangshi disposal.

1. Fulu: A yellow paper talisman written with red ink spells. Slapping this onto the Jiangshi's forehead freezes it instantly.
2. Sticky Rice: Raw glutinous rice burns their skin like acid.
3. Bagua Mirror: A concave mirror reveals their true nature and repels them.
4. Wood: Items made of peach wood are lethal to them.

The myth has a grim historical basis. In the Qing Dynasty, "Corpse Walkers" were hired to transport dead workers back to their ancestral villages. They would tie the upright corpses to bamboo poles and carry them between two men. As the poles flexed, the corpses seemed to "hop" along the road in the fog. The horror was born from the reality of migrant labor and the longing for home.

It sounds ridiculous until you hear it: Thump. Thump. Thump getting closer. If you hear the hopping in the dark, stop breathing.