2023: PRC Political Zombies and the Zombie Economy
Zombie have been popular characters in literature and movies especially these past several decades although the undead of course have a much longer history than that!
My economics teacher talked to us about zombie companies, already bankrupt, but still in their own undead way ‘gamble for redemption‘, making very risk business deals in the hope of getting big returns that would vault them back…
🏠 Tara led us to new HIDEOUT, its not military zombie style grade; yet WE can make it into one as we progress though time... HOME SWEET HOME 🏠
👫 She knows a gunsmith, Buck who can be a valuable asset to our team. Honestly thought we gonna be by ourselves.. eh it doesn't matter. 👫
🧰 Apparently Buck's been trying to find his toolbox stolen by some thief named Hank (idk who HANK is but) seems kinda lowlife to steal someone's stuff right (especially when alive lol) 🧰
💀 After getting Buck's toolbox back, we got along well... 💀
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WMef9RDmkQ
#🌃#🏠 #👫#🧰 #💀
(The one in yellow is a daoshi (道士; Daoist priest) and the one in blue is a jiangshi (僵尸), a reanimated corpse in Chinese folklore. In jiangshi stories, daoshis play the role of 'corpse handler', using talismans and other objects to subdue the jiangshi. They are also the experts who are tasked with exorcising the body or reversing the imbalances that led to its reanimation)
Tis the season of the spooky! I recently delved into a rabbit hole about the 僵尸 (Jiangshi) and 湘西赶尸人 (Xiangxi necromancer), both Chinese folklores regarding the undead. These are very underrated topics so I’ve found some fun info to share under the cut!
僵尸 (Jiangshi) directly translates to ‘rigid corpse’ (corpse with rigor mortis), but it’s better known as the Chinese vampire in pop culture.
Jiangshi is an undead that sustains itself by consuming the energy of the living, and moves about by hopping (cause rigor mortis).
湘西赶尸人 translates directly to the corpse herder of Xiangxi. It is considered as a traditional witchcraft practice of the Xiangxi area, and thought of as ‘good magic’. According to traditional lore, families hire these necromancers so that their loved ones (usually people who died in war) could be returned and buried in their homeland, so to encourage the spirit to pass on properly.
The stereotype of the undead in Qing dynasty officials garb was made popular by horror films and pop culture of the 80s. In traditional folklore, the dead are often clothed in black death shrouds or otherwise have their face covered by large hats. The yellow talisman in movies are depicted to render the undead docile. Here, it is said to be used to keep the spirit within the vessel of the body during transport (I read cinnabar is also used for this purpose).
The necromancer guides the dead with a bell. They would rest during daylight in lodgings specifically made to accommodate this, and only travel at night. This is to avoid frightening the living during day time.
Of course, there is no verifiable proof for this profession, though it is speculated that some sort of performative corpse transportation existed in history that helped to generate this fascinating legend. The usual portrayal of raising the dead in pop culture is often seen as evil and malicious, so it’s a lovely change of pace to see necromancy depicted in a positive manner.