I have to say that Oriental Ghost Stories: Tales of Mystery and
the Supernatural was a little disappointing.
Almost two thirds (or more) deals with Japanese ghost stories rather
that Chinese as the sellers indicated.
Really -did I think they had read the books?
But Strange Tales From A
Chinese Studio has not disappointed. Plenty of good stories, if not what many
Europeans might think of as ghost stories. So a lot to go through!
Someone might think that I
have forgotten my plan to research Chinese traditional ghost stories in the
hopes of producing a number of Chinese Ghost themed comic albums.
I have not.
I'm hoping Pu Songling's book
will fill in a lot of gaps in what I know (they are BIG gaps -come on I have
never investigated any Chinese ghosts!). That and Lafcadio Hearn's (apparently
he is better known and still respected in Japan
Would they ever be as good as
some of those old Charlton Horror comic strips set in Japan and Korea
Oddly, I used to have some Hong Kong horror Manhua but those simply vanished -I
mean, who the ----- steals comics they don't understand (unless they were just interested
in the art?). Whatever, The Thinker
(possibly) presenting some good Chinese horror stories would be fun.
In the meantime I have to
find another source to buy Manhua from!
It seems the other large Chinese store in Bristol
This was my original posting
on the ideas I had, and still do.
Zhong Kui -The King of
Ghosts!
I love Chinese comics and I
love ghost stories. I was hoping that I
might find inspiration from Chinese comics but, sadly, cannot get hold of any
of the horror comics.
It also seems my book of
traditional Chinese ghost stories went missing years ago without me knowing.
I did remember one name and
-voila! Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhong_Kui
And with a title like
"King of Ghosts" how can you not be inspired?
As related on Wikipedia -I
remember the story being MUCH longer- this is how Zhong Kui became....
.... the King of Ghosts!!
According to folklore, Zhong
Kui travelled with Du Ping (杜平), a friend from his hometown, to take part in the imperial
examinations at the capital.
Though Zhong achieved top
honours in the exams, his title of "zhuangyuan" was stripped by the
emperor because of his disfigured appearance. In anger, Zhong Kui committed
suicide upon the palace steps by hurling himself against the palace gate until
his head was broken.
Du Ping buried him.
During his judgment, the Hell
King saw potential in Zhong. Intelligent enough to score top honors in the
imperial examinations, but damned to hell because he committed suicide.
The Hell King, judging Zhong
Kui, then gave him the title, as the
King of Ghost, forever to hunt, capture, maintain and order ghosts. After Zhong
became King of Ghosts in Hell, he returned to his hometown on Chinese New
Year's Eve.
To repay Du Ping's kindness,
Zhong Kui gave his younger sister in marriage to Du.
Yes, the story has the ring
of many others over the centuries and then in comic books -Jim Corrigan, cop,
gunned down and then resurrected by The Higher Power to combat evil. And Atlas (Seaboard Periodicals) Grim Ghost
was a betrayed highwayman, hung and resurrected by Satan to find and bring him
evil souls as...The Grim Ghost.
Oh, and here is a tale!
Zhong Kui's popularity in folklore can be
traced to the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang China
This was highly influential
to later representations of Zhong. (see image below)
Forgive my ignorance if there
has been a comic book adaption of this story but I think "the Black Tower
But first, those Green Skies
need taking care of!
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