Xiangxi corpse driving explanation
Hunting corpses in Xiangxi was a folk custom of the Miao people in Xiangxi, belonging to the Chu witch culture. Its origin was related to war. It was said that Chiyou fought with the enemy thousands of years ago. After the war, he ordered the military counselor to send his dead brothers back to their hometown. The military counselor "woke up" the corpses and made them follow him back to the south. This was the earliest version of corpse chasing. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the phenomenon of corpse transportation was more concentrated. At that time, there was constant war and many people died in foreign lands. Because they could not be transported back to their hometown in coffins, there were corpse carriers who used Chenzhou talismans to drive corpses back to their hometown. When the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded China, the Luo Family Army in Xiangxi sacrificed themselves in the war. The corpse herders had also brought them back to their hometown. Corpse herders needed to meet certain conditions, such as courage, good health, and ugly appearance so that ghosts and gods would not approach. During the process of transporting the corpses, the corpse transporter would apply a special Miao medicine on the corpses to prevent decay. Then, he would pass a bamboo pole through the armpits of the corpses, fix it to the bamboo pole with a straw rope, and cover it with a robe. Corpse-herding usually took place during the day and at night. At night, the corpse-herder would ring the bell to remind passers-by to avoid it. They had to bring the corpse to the corpse-herding inn before dawn. When they entered the inn, they would say," The God of Happiness is passing by, please excuse me." They didn't drive the corpses back to their hometown. They just led the corpses through the desolate and rugged mountains to the plains and handed them to their relatives who came to pick them up. The relatives put the corpses into coffins and then transported them back to the countryside for burial. Nowadays, corpse chasing had become a folk custom, presented in the form of dance in front of tourists, becoming a way to satisfy people's wishes and transform traditional cultural resources into a way of livelihood. The novel " The Corpse Fighter " is equally exciting. Everyone is welcome to click and read it!
Where is the corpse driving in Xiangxi?
The origin of corpse driving was the four counties of Yuanling, Luxi, Chenxi and Xupu in ancient Chenzhou. There were traces of corpse herders in the four counties of Xiangxi and the Sichuan-Guizhou region. The novel " The Corpse Fighter " is equally exciting. Everyone is welcome to click and read it!
Where is the birthplace of Xiangxi corpse driving?
The birthplace of corpse driving in Xiangxi was the four counties of Yuanling, Luxi, Chenxi and Xupu in ancient Chenzhou.
Where does Xiangxi corpse driving refer to?
The Xiangxi Corpse Catcher referred to the Xiangxi area of Hunan Province, which mainly included Yuanling, Luxi, Chenxi, and Xupu counties.
Where exactly does Xiangxi corpse driving refer to?
Xiangxi corpse driving specifically referred to the four counties of Yuanling, Luxi, Chenxi and Xupu in the western part of Hunan.
How does Shen Congwen know about Xiangxi corpse driving?
Shen Congwen learned about the corpse drive in Xiangxi through an interview. In his work " People of Yuanling ", he described the scene where he personally witnessed the corpse-chasing and expressed his strong interest in this culture. He even paid a special visit to a Yao corpse herder to learn the techniques and incantations of corpse herding from him. However, he didn't mention the details of how he learned about the corpse herding in Xiangxi.
Decrypting the corpse in Xiangxi
Corpse chasing in Xiangxi was an ancient traditional activity that originated from Yuanling, Luxi, Chenxi, Xupu and other places in Xiangxi. In the past, due to the war and poor living conditions, many Xiangxi residents migrated to Sichuan and other places to make a living. However, these people still hoped to be buried in their hometown after death. Initially, they tried to transport the bodies back to their hometown by water, but because of the rapid flow of the Three Gorge, this method was very dangerous. Therefore, the method of corpse chasing came into being. Corpse Transporters were responsible for bringing corpses back to their hometown. They used special methods to decompose the corpses and use Miao medicine to preserve them. The specific process of driving the corpse was to cover the corpse with a shroud, put on a tall felt hat, and stick a yellow talisman on it. The corpse transporter held a copper gong and led the corpses back to their hometown. The activities of corpse herding were mainly limited to the Xiangxi mountainous area. There was no such activity in other areas.
Xiangxi Corpse Catcher
Corpse chasing in Xiangxi was a mysterious witchcraft that was said to have originated from Chiyou, the leader of the Miao tribe in ancient times. Chiyou suffered heavy casualties in the battle with the Yellow Emperor. In order to let the dead clansmen return to their hometown, Chiyou asked the shamans of the tribe to perform rituals to revive the dead and retreat with the army. This magical secret technique of corpse chasing had been passed down to this day, mainly in the western part of Hunan. The corpse transporter was a wizard who specialized in bringing the dead back to their homeland. They shook the Soul Catching Bell and led three to five corpses from afar back to their hometown to be buried. Corpse herders usually wore a huge straw hat, a green long robe, and a pair of straw shoes. Their appearance was usually not shocking, and they were even a little ugly. This was to make it difficult for people to get close to them. The purpose of corpse herding was to allow those who died in foreign lands to return to their hometown for burial. Although corpse herding was still mysterious, it was not as terrifying as it was at first. As for the origin and specific situation of the corpse-chasing, it was still a mystery.
Xiangxi corpse scam
The so-called Xiangxi corpse-chasing scam was a misunderstanding of the folk culture of Xiangxi. Hunting corpses in Xiangxi was a folk custom of the Miao people in Xiangxi, belonging to the Chu witch culture. In history, many people in Xiangxi died in foreign lands due to war and other reasons. Because of the inconvenience of transportation and the concept of returning to their roots, the method of "driving" corpses back to their hometown was created. The corpse transporter would apply a Miao special medicine on the corpse to prevent decay. He would use bamboo poles to support the corpse and carry it back and forth. He would travel at night and rest during the day. He would also ring a bell to remind passers-by to avoid it. People now think it's a scam because some of the elements are mysterious and difficult to understand. However, at that time, it was a phenomenon based on regional culture, folk beliefs, and actual needs. Now, it has evolved into a folk culture in the form of dance, becoming a manifestation of the local people's desire to return to their roots and transforming traditional cultural resources into a way of livelihood. The novel " The Corpse Fighter " is equally exciting. Everyone is welcome to click and read it!
Are there still corpse drivers in Xiangxi?
At present, there were no corpse drivers in the Xiangxi area who were engaged in this profession. With China's reform and opening up and the development of infrastructure, transportation in Xiangxi became more convenient, and more people flocked to the city to work. In the rural areas, no one learned the art of corpse transportation or worked as a corpse transporter. According to reports, the last corpse herder in China was called Wu Liangzi. He was a contemporary Taoist scholar with a formal Taoist identity and inherited the corpse herder culture of Xiangxi. However, he did not work as a corpse herder. Instead, he switched to performing Xiangxi's unique skills. Therefore, it could be said that there were no corpse drivers in Xiangxi.
Xiangxi Corpse Hunting Series
The Xiangxi Corpse Hunting series consisted of three novels," Welcome the God of Happiness,"" Animal Making," and " Zhu You Aristocratic Family." It was written by Ning Mou Qi Xian Shang. This series of novels depicted the corpse-chasing culture in Xiangxi and related mysterious events. Apart from novels, corpse herding in Xiangxi was also an ancient folk tradition. It was said that the corpse herders would lead the corpses of the dead to walk at night. The story of chasing corpses in Xiangxi had also been adapted and interpreted in films, television and literary works. Although the authenticity of the Xiangxi corpse drive was still controversial, as a part of the cultural heritage of Xiangxi, it still attracted people's interest and curiosity.