Pu Songling’s “Shibian” 尸變 and Vampiric Chases in the Chinese Tradition of Strange Narratives

Abstract

“Shibian” is a famous seventeenth-century horror tale by Pu Songling that culminates in a terror-stricken traveler’s deadly pursuit by a reanimated corpse. This article explores the tale’s close connection to two groups of similar narratives about corpse reanimation, which the author designates as “Temple of Horror” anecdotes and “House of Death” accounts, respectively. Though recognizing “Shibian” as essentially a “House of Death” account, this article argues that a version of “Temple of Horror” also contributed narrative elements that were key to the intricacy and intense horror of Pu Songling’s tale.