Ghostly Spirits in China

Great Wall of China is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The impressive and magnificent wall dates back to the 7th century BC. During the construction of the wall about one to two million people died. Now the wall is haunted by the entities of the construction workers. Visitors have seen ghostly apparitions and heard footsteps inside the wall when no one was around.

Fengdu in Chongqing Municipality is a site that was built 2000 years ago and is known as the City of Ghosts. Here you can find temples, monasteries, and shrines all of which are dedicated to the afterlife. This is believed to be one of three sites that a spirit must visit before passing on to the underworld. Neighboring villages have heard strange noises and sinister laughter has been heard during the night. There are sounds of torture.

Qiu Mansion in Shanghai began with the Qiu brothers who were migrant workers in Shanghai. Once they had made their fortunes selling paint after WW I, they built identical mansions next to each other. The mansion ground was home to the brother's collection of exotic pets like Burmese tigers, peacocks, and crocodiles. Then at the time the Qui brothers became notorious they mysteriously disappeared and the mansions and grounds fell into disrepair.

At the Four Seasons Hotel across the street from the Qui Mansion workers have heard and seen strange animals roaming about. At night guards at the hotel have been treated for mysterious animal bites and no one knows how the injuries occurred.

Sai Ying Pun Community Complex on High Street in Hong Kong is known for being one of the scariest places in the city. In 1892 the complex was built for European nursing staff. During WW II the site is known to have been the execution site of Japanese soldiers. After the war, it became an insane asylum and closed down following two fires in 1961. There have been ghostly sightings in the complex and people have seen a man roaming about in traditional Chinese clothing. At night there are also tales of headless poltergeists and devilish figures roaming through the corridors of the complex. It could be that the spirits of those who were tortured and murdered are seeking revenge.

Tuen Mun Road in Hong Kong is a haunted roadway that is also known as Zombie Road. It is the major expressway in Hong Kong located between two villages. The road is known for holding the record of one of the highest number of road accidents in the world. The major cause of accidents here happen when drivers suddenly swerve to avoid hitting ghostly apparitions that suddenly appear before them. As the victims of crashes multiply their spirits remain behind haunting the roadway.

Yun Shan Fan Dian Hotel is located in the mountains to the northeast of Beijing in the city of Chengde. The hotel overlooks the Yangtze River. It is supposedly haunted by the spirit of Empress Dowager Cixi from the Qing Dynasty. Just like in life she likes to watch over her formal gardens and at times can be seen at the end of the 8th-floor hallway. Along with her is the ghostly apparition of a man in Western-style clothing also roaming on the same floor.

Dead Fengman Village is found in a mountain range in northern China. Here hikers hiking in the hills and forests have met the ghostly hiker. The spooky apparition was discovered when a hiker climbed onto a ridge above where he and his friends were camping to scare his friends by calling their names in the dark. Instead, the hiker was surprised when a strange, gloomy voice called out his name back to him.

The Ghosts of Beijing

Songpo Library has a special place in Chinese history since it was once the home of Wu Sangui, the general who betrayed the Ming Dynasty. He let the Manchu Army pass through the Great Wall for a position in the Qing Dynasty. Legend has it that Wu Sanui abandoned the love of his life, Chen Yuan Yuan causing her to hang herself in their home due to heartbreak. Now for the past 100 years, her spirit haunts this library.

Huguang Opera House or Huguang Guild Hall was built in 1807 by a philanthropist to house the poor. The building later became an opera house and museum. A ghostly tale says that the building was built upon a gravesite. Visitors to the opera house have heard voices shouting but have seen no one. Others say that if a stone is thrown in the courtyard the sound of someone scolding the thrower can be heard.

Caishikou Execution Grounds were at the busy intersection of Xuanwumen Outer Street and Luomashi Street in western Beijing. Those who were convicted of treason or serious crimes against their family were brought here to be tortured and executed by lingchi, the death of a thousand cuts. These executions were open for public viewing.

On the day of execution promptly at 11:30 AM. it was customary for the convict to be brought to a wine shop to have one last drink before facing their painful death. Today people who walk these streets say that the restless spirits of the dead roam about.

The Forbidden City has become a tourist attraction in China. It is also a place that comes with its share of ghosts. The Imperial Palace built over 600 years ago during the Ming and Qing Dynasties has seen many executions. There were many who participated among them jealous concubines, spiteful servants, and envious guards who would attempt to poison one another in various ways. In the late 1940s, the palace was open to the public. That was when staff began to notice unusual things. A woman wearing white has been heard sobbing while she strolls about the grounds. In 1995 a woman in black appeared and as she turns to speak it is apparent that she has no face with her pale visage surrounded by black hair.

Gongwangfu or Prince Gong’s Mansion is located on Liuyin Street in the Xicheng district. It was the home of a notoriously corrupt official in the Qing Dynasty. Heshen had a harem of 80 concubines. He was devoted to his wife Feng Shi, who became ill after their youngest son died in battle. Heshen hired monks to pray for her but she died of a broken heart. Now the house is apparently haunted by the spirits of Feng Shi and the many former escorts of Heshen. In the night the cries of Feng Shi can be heard throughout the house and ghostly female apparitions in white have been seen wandering about the garden.

Guijie Guijie or Ghost Street is quite peaceful during the daytime but at night looks gloomy and spooky. This was the street where some decades ago many shops sold coffins. Today this has become a street of roaming ghostly apparitions that come out in the nighttime.

Chaonei Church in Chaoyang district was built in the early 20th century by the Catholic Church and it became the residence for British missionaries living in Beijing. There are many spooky stories surrounding this church. One is that when the priest who constructed the church unexpectedly disappeared. When they searched for him they could not find him but they found a tunnel in the crypt leading to Jiuxianqiao Lu in Dashanzi, Beijing. The priest was never found.

Other stories tell of a government official that lived in the church before the fall of the Qing Dynasty. His wife committed suicide and during some nights throughout the corridors, her crying can be heard. Some people have seen the ghostly apparition of a woman running about the corridors.