Real Unexplained Supernatural Events in Chinese Folklore - Part Twelve

Story One:

This is a story my grandfather told my mother, who then shared it with me. Whether it's true or not, we can't verify.

In the old days, in rural areas of China, the primary form of entertainment was attending local operas. These operas, often held in the fields, were particularly popular after the autumn harvest. Affluent families in the village would hire opera troupes, and the performances would last all night. When a village hosted an opera, people from nearby villages, sometimes as far as ten miles away, would gather to enjoy the show. The area around the stage became a small community of its own.

My grandfather was quite young at the time, and one day he heard that a neighboring village was staging an opera. That evening, he made plans with two friends to go and watch the spectacle. It's important to note that in those days, opera performances ran throughout the night.

Upon arriving at the neighboring village, they found the stage set up in an open field just outside the village. The crowd was already engrossed in the performance. The play that night was captivating, possibly depicting a story of a person seeking revenge from the afterlife after being wronged.

As the night wore on, some people left, but many young folks stayed to watch. During a particular scene involving five mischievous spirits, played by actors with painted faces, a gust of wind suddenly extinguished all the torches on the stage. Remember, this was in a time before electricity. As people hurried to relight the torches, something strange happened. The five "spirits" on the stage inexplicably multiplied into ten! A cry of alarm swept through the audience, and some fled, but my grandfather, along with others, stayed put.

The actors on stage remained composed, for they were seasoned performers who had traveled widely. They began negotiating with these unexpected apparitions, but the additional spirits refused to acknowledge that they were supernumerary. Chaos ensued, as nobody could discern which were the original spirits and which were the impostors.

Amidst the confusion, a chicken crowed. In rural areas, chickens typically crow at dawn, so this was very unusual given that it was still the middle of the night. At the sound of the rooster, a collective gasp emanated from the ten spirits on the stage. Local villagers later claimed that the opera stage had been set up atop an ancient burial ground.

This story has been passed down through the years and remains well-known in several villages in central Hebei, China.

Story Two:

Here's another story, which took place around a decade ago. At that time, many families in the village were building new houses. One family constructed their new home on the outskirts of the village, and they were delighted to move in. The house was spacious, well-lit, and right at the edge of the village. Opening the door led straight to the fields, making it a delightful place to live.

However, it wasn't long before strange occurrences began. First, their children would wake up crying in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. Then, the woman of the house started experiencing something peculiar. When she went out to use the restroom at night, she felt as though a child quickly darted into the kitchen. But when she investigated, there was nothing there. She initially dismissed it as her imagination but couldn't shake the feeling.

One day, as the man of the house was standing on a stool, plastering the walls, he suddenly fell, suffering a concussion. He recalled feeling as though someone had flipped the stool over. Yet, there was no one else in the room.

Another incident involved a blind beggar from a neighboring county who happened to stop near their house. He stood there and refused to move, telling the family that there was negative energy in their house, and they shouldn't live there. They should move out quickly.

The family didn't believe him, thinking, "How could a blind beggar know?" But the blind man persisted, saying, "There's a child living in your house. You're suppressing him. If you can't keep him in check, you'll face trouble." Eventually, the family decided to move back to their old house. The new house was left vacant and was eventually sold to the village, where it became a broadcasting room and farm machinery storage. After they moved, no more strange events occurred.