Chinese
Ghouls and Goblins is a book written by Gerald Willoughby-Meade, his work
particularly the entry about a Chinese vampire also known as Qiang Shi was
widely quoted by Montague Summers in his work The Vampire, His Kith and Kin,
particularly the story about Chang Kuei.
Chang Kuei
is a Chinese courier that delivered message from Peking to the nearby
provinces. While on his job he
encountered a massive storm. He was
passing Liang Hsiang when he saw a small hut.
He took shelter from the hut which was occupied by a female host. The girl invited him inside the house. He secured his horse on the nearby area and
went inside the house.
On that
night, while he slept in one of the room, the girl promised to wake him up
before the breaking of dawn so he can continue on his journey and fulfill his
duty. The man woke up late in the
morning. He felt weak and numb and found
himself lying on a tomb while his horse is tied in a tree nearby. When he arrived on the location, the local
magistrate asked him about his reason for being late. He said that the strong storm caused his
delay. The magistrate felt curious about
the incident and asked his officials to investigate the incident
The
authorities found out that in the said woods were Chang Kuei experienced the
trouble; a girl named Chang hanged herself in the woods a few years ago. There are also accounts of the same incident
that was experienced by the courier.
The magistrate
orders the officials to open his casket.
They then discovered that even though number of years had passed, the
body of Chang was perfectly preserved.
Her cheeks are still reddish as if a blood is still flowing through her
veins. The body of the deceased was
ordered to be burned on the location where the haunting occurs.
The
haunting of the Qiang shi which is the Chinese equivalent for a vampire ceases
on that day.
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