Jiangshi

A jiangshi (殭屍, lit. "stiff corpse") is a resurrected human corpse through Taoist magic. Often, jiangshi are revived as mindless undead creatures controlled by the Taoist mage who performed the ritual, but a high-level Taoist can also bring back jiangshi’s mind if they bind the corpse with its original soul. A sentient jiangshi has the potential to grow stronger and evolve with age. Jiangshi feed on the life energy (qi) of other living, making the Eastern equivalent of a vampire/zombie. A jiangshi can obtain this qi by drinking the blood of others or through siphoning the qi of their master.

Jiangshi

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Chinese

殭屍
(Mandarin: jiāngshī
Cantonese: goeng¹ si¹)

Japanese

キョンシー, kyonshī

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Classification

Yāoguài/Yōkai

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Human