Zombies in China, vampires in England, and mummies in Egypt are known as the three major ghosts in the world.
Zombies were a popular theme in Hong Kong movies in the 1880s. In the movie, the zombie is dressed in the official uniform of the Qing Dynasty, with his hands stretched out and his feet together like a sparrow. He uses human breathing to identify his direction. Another notable feature is that a talisman attached to the zombie's forehead can make the zombie sleep. write. Because zombies always jump forward, in the Feng Shui practice of Chinese architecture, a wooden board (sill) about 15 cm high is usually installed under the door to prevent zombies from jumping into the home.
In "The Genuine Wei Xiaobao Seduces a Girl by Order", Zhang Weijian was stunned when he saw Tony Leung (Wei Xiaobao) who had returned from the Qing Dynasty and asked: Where did you find the zombie costume I have been looking for? It can be seen that wearing a zombie costume at that time was as fashionable as wearing a Spider-Man costume today!
But why do zombies always wear Qing Dynasty clothes? I admit that I was bored, so I searched a lot of information and found that this question can be answered from many angles.
Economic perspective: Qing Dynasty costumes were plentiful and cheap, and zombie movies are generally low-cost movies. For cost reasons, the producers let the zombies collectively change into Qing Dynasty clothes, and because There are most palace scenes in Qing operas, so there is the alternative temptation of uniforms in movies.
Time perspective: If the death time is less than 100 years, you cannot become a spirit. If the death time is more than 500 years, you will become a demon. Therefore, only those whose death time is around 100-500 can become zombies. If you finally become a zombie, you will inevitably show off your impatience. Based on this calculation, only people born between 1500 and 1900 AD can become zombies. Almost all people born during this period were from the Qing Dynasty. According to this estimate, in a few years, the zombies in film and television works will be wearing Chinese tunic suits, suits or Nikes, wearing three watches, carrying Durex in their briefcases, and using toothpaste recommended by the dental prevention team. Moreover, it is said that people in the Qing Dynasty wore official uniforms when they were buried, which was dignified.
From the perspective of national sentiments: Anti-Qing and restoration of the Ming Dynasty have always been the mainstream thought in Hong Kong. Hong Kong was divided by the British in the hands of the Qing Dynasty. Therefore, Hong Kong people have resentment in their hearts, so they make fun of the Qing Dynasty. This is part of Hong Kong culture. . As for why official uniforms were chosen, it was because the people's anti-Qing and anti-corruption manifestations were the imagination and social sustenance of scholar-bureaucrats and literati.
Film and television perspective: The shooting effect of the official uniforms of the Qing Dynasty is more consistent with the image of zombies, because the official uniforms of the Qing Dynasty are more straight-forward, darker in color, and with the appearance of the official hats, the entire costume is different from Hanfu. It has a depressing, dull flavor and is stiff when jumping, so it is most suitable for shooting zombies. It is not impossible to use costumes from the Tang Dynasty, Ming Dynasty, and Han Dynasty to shoot, but because Hanfu may be lighter in color (such as white) and wider, it is not suitable to shoot zombies in official clothes, but it will have an elegant and fairy atmosphere. inside. Therefore, beautiful female ghosts are usually photographed wearing ancient Hanfu, which is why there are a series of classic female ghosts such as A Chinese Ghost Story. Imagine letting Nie Xiaoqian wear the official uniform of the Qing Dynasty. What effect would that have?
Folklore perspective: In the Qing Dynasty, there were Taoist priests called "corpse trainers", who had a magic to guide the movement of corpses. There are many people with status and wealth. After death, they hope that the fallen leaves will return to their roots. When the corpse is not corrupted, the sorcerer will rush back to his hometown for burial. At this time, the corpse needs to be disposed of. Taoist priests will usually use their craftsmanship to make the corpse stiff. In order to walk, and then dress up, it is also very showy to put on official uniform at this time. The corpse chaser is called the " corpse chaser ". The sorcerers who drove away the corpses walked together in groups of about three or five. Some tied the corpses with ropes, one every few feet, and then put yellow paper symbols on their foreheads. Others played gongs and bells to clear the way, and drew pictures to walk at night. He threw himself into a stack in front of daylight, lifted up the talisman, and stood his body against the wall. He continued on his way at night. Some people also pointed out that the corpse chasers actually carried the corpses on their backs and walked. However, because they were wearing black clothes and walking at night, passers-by could not see the corpse chasers and thought there was a walking corpse.
Literary history perspective: The theory of zombies became popular after the mid-Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty.
In the Qing Dynasty, on the one hand, there were more records of zombie incidents, more research on zombies, and more exchanges between China and foreign countries. More importantly, literary forms such as novels and readers in the Qing Dynasty rose to a climax. Strange things will be explained by different ghosts, etc., and zombies are one of them. These things have also been recorded in more books and folklore, and have been used as materials for some current movies. The Qing Dynasty has the most records of zombies, with Yuan Mei's "Zi Buyu" and Ji Xiaolan's "Yuewei Thatched Cottage Notes" being the most popular. These two books can be said to be "zombie encyclopedias". Most Hong Kong zombie movies come from these books, so it's natural that the zombies wear clothes from the Qing Dynasty. China's Qing Dynasty was the period that was most insulted by foreigners, and the government was the most incompetent, so zombies became officials at that time. Those who win the hearts and minds of the people will win the world!
Another question, what should you do if you encounter a zombie?
Zombies generally walk at night or can cause trouble in the dark. Therefore, do not walk at night or stay in remote, deserted and dark places.
Folklore has the following magic weapons for dealing with zombies.
Mirror. "Compendium of Materia Medica" mentions: "Mirrors are the essence of gold and water, which are bright inside and dark outside."
Peach branches and peach wood swords. "Jingchu Age Chronicles": "Peach, the essence of the five elements, can subdue evil spirits and control hundreds of ghosts."
Rooster crows. "Zi Buyu": "The ghost shrinks when it hears the rooster crow."
Seven jujube stones. "Zi Buyu": "Seven date stones were nailed into the back points of the corpse."
Broom. When a zombie occurs, put any tall object in front of the zombie and let it hug the object tightly, and it will stop. The most convenient one at home is a broom. Use the broom to let the zombie hug it tightly and let the zombie hold it tightly. It mistook it for a human and could make it stop.
Bell, Book of Changes, Tongshu, ink brush, masonry awl, ax ruler, glutinous rice, rice, rice sieve, red bean. (The reason is unknown, if anyone knows please tell me)
Fire. The ultimate method of killing corpses. "Zi Buyu": "Set it on fire, there will be a sound of tsk-tsk, and the blood will flow into the bones."