Is it true that Xiangxi corpse driver? The self-report of the last generation of corpse drivers in Xiangxi will help you solve your doubts.

Speaking of Xiangxi corpse-drivers, everyone should know that this thing is really terrible, interesting and mysterious. So how do you think such a thing is done? So in fact, it should be fake, but it's not like this, because in Xiangxi, it seems that there really is a corpse driver. So what evidence is there? Actually, a real corpse driver told us about it. Interested netizens can follow me to have a look!

Driving corpse is a folk custom of Miao nationality in western Hunan, which belongs to witch culture and is also related to various tourist families. The rumor of "corpse-driver" in Xiangxi in Qing Dynasty was widely circulated, that is, corpse-driver used "secret technique" to bring the bodies of people who died in a foreign land back to their hometown and let them rest in peace. Although "Xiangxi corpse drive" has never been scientifically verified or personally confirmed, it has become the prototype of many thriller movies and has been widely known since then.

Myth origin

The origin of the corpse driver is recorded in folk books: it is said that thousands of years ago, the ancestor of Miao nationality, Apu (Miao language: father-in-law), Chiyou led his troops to fight against the enemy lines along the Yellow River until the corpses were everywhere and blood flowed into the river. After the war, he had to retreat to the rear. After the soldiers carried all the injured soldiers away, Apchiyou ordered Apchiyou to send the dead brothers back to their hometown. So Apushi's military uniform dressed as Apchiyou stood among the bodies of the brothers who died in battle. After a period of meditation and praying to the gods, all the bodies lying on the ground immediately stood up and walked south behind Apchiyou's "Jeff". This is the earliest version of corpse removal.

The origin of water transport

In the mid-Qing Dynasty, corpse removal appeared, which was to transport the bodies of Hunan immigrants who died in Sichuan to their hometown. In the initial transportation process, the body took the waterway and did not need to "catch up". However, in this section of the Three Gorges, the current is fast, the reefs are densely covered, and ships often sink. The ancients were superstitious and never wanted to carry the dead on the steep river, so the profession of "driving the corpse" came into being.

It is said that during the Anti-Japanese War, under the eaves of a family in Datong Street, Chongqing, a note was posted on the door frame, which read "Send the corpse back to Hunan on behalf of the agency". With the gradual development of people's wisdom, the widespread use of explosives destroyed reefs, modern roads and cars appeared, and steamboats that did not believe in evil began to transport corpses. People's local concept has also faded, and Sichuan immigrants no longer demand that the bodies be transported back to their hometown. Just as the appearance of the train shattered the myth created by bodyguards and greenwood robbers, the corpse-driver was gradually eliminated by history.

The origin of punishment

There was a custom of "Autumn Decision" in Qing Dynasty. Every autumn equinox, the county government office executes death row prisoners with the approval of the punishment department. After the execution, the local death row inmates have their own families to collect and bury their bodies, while the foreign death row inmates need to be transported back to their hometown to be executed. Usually, a corpse needs four people to carry, and the cost is high. It is relatively cheap to ask the old company to drive it home, and it can be guaranteed that it will not rot and stink halfway, because the body carried may rot in a day.

Get ready.

Generally, the day before the execution of the autumn sentence, the relatives and fellow villagers of the guests on death row, even good people who are good at doing good deeds, will gather some money to buy all the goods for the old companies they invited (usually Tsing Yi and Red Dress). On the day of execution, the old company, assistants and helpers all have to wait outside the court. At three o'clock in the afternoon, the knife and axe fell and the death row head fell to the ground.

As soon as the beheading officer leaves the charity ceremony, the red veteran will do ritual spells, and the assistant will help sew up the decapitated dead head. Then the old hands in Tsing Yi will put cinnabar (the best cinnabar) on the forehead, breech, chest, left and right palms and soles of the feet of the deceased. And each one will be held down by spells and then tied tightly with five-color cloth strips. According to legend, these seven places are places where the seven orifices enter and exit, and they are sealed with cinnabar spells to keep the seven souls of the dead.

After that, some cinnabar will be stuffed into the ears, nose and mouth of the deceased, and then blocked with spells. Legend has it that the ear, nose and mouth are the places where three souls go in and out, and they can leave their souls in the body of the dead. Finally, cover the neck of the deceased with cinnabar, stick spells on it and tie it tightly with five-color cloth strips; Then put a bamboo hat on the deceased (as a cover). When everything was finished, the old man in red read a spell and shouted "get up!" " Dead guests will stand up. ...

transportation process

The corpse driver is a mage in cassock. In front of these bodies covered with black shroud, there is a living person who is called "corpse driver" by the locals. No matter how many bodies there are, he will drive alone. No matter what the weather is, you should wear a pair of straw sandals, a green cloth gown, a black belt around your waist, a green cloth hat, a gong in your hand and a bag of symbols in your pocket.

The mage is not behind the corpse, but leads the way in front of the corpse, without playing lanterns, because he is beating the little Yin Gong in his hand, leading the group of corpses forward, shaking the mastermind clock in his hand to let the nocturnal people avoid it, and informing the people with dogs to lock them up. If there are more than two bodies, the corpse driver will string them one by one with a straw rope, one every seven or eight feet. When walking in the dark, the body will wear a tall blanket hat on its head and some yellow paper with calligraphy will hang down from its forehead.

There is a "corpse inn" on the way to drive the corpse. This mysterious "dead inn" only lives in dead bodies and corpse drivers, which ordinary people can't live in. Its gate is open all year round. Because behind the two door panels, it is where the body stops. The corpse driver rushed to the "corpse shop" before dawn and quietly left at night. The body leans neatly against the wall behind the door panel. When it is difficult to walk on rainy days, I will stop in the store for a few days and nights.

Die with a coffin.

Two or three days before arriving at the destination, inform the family members of the deceased in advance, prepare clothes and coffins, and immediately put on clothes, hats and shoes for the deceased after the "deceased" arrives, and put them in Shoumu. This burial process is entirely undertaken by the "corpse driver", and no one is allowed to interfere and watch, just as the corpse is not allowed to peep when it is "carried out of the coffin" at the time of departure. It is said that at these critical moments, strangers will be in danger of "shocking the body" and "loading the body" when they approach a body, and the burial process must be in the middle of the night. Everything is arranged, that is to say, the deceased will be buried before being claimed. As soon as the coffin lid is opened, it is obviously a bereaved family. It looks like yesterday, but it is buried in the coffin. It was heartbreaking and devastating. Some of them cried and some sobbed.

There is a saying in western Hunan called "three open, three closed".

Sankoh is catching up.

Those who are beheaded (their heads must be sewn together), hanged and put to death in cages can be driven away.

Legend has it that because they were forced to die, they died unconvinced and missed their hometown and loved ones. You can hook their souls with spells, put them into their bodies with spells, and then use spells to drive them to climb mountains and mountains, or even board a boat and return to their hometown.

Three, don't worry

Those who died of illness, those who voluntarily hanged themselves in the river, and those who were mutilated by thunder and fire could not be driven away.

Among them, the dead soul has been hooked by Yan, and it can't be called back from the gate of hell; The souls of those who threw themselves into the river have been "replaced", and they may be handing over. If new souls are recruited, the old dead souls will be irreplaceable, which will affect the reincarnation of the old souls; In addition, people who die from thunder are the most heinous, and those who die from fire are often incomplete and cannot be driven away.

Body shape condition

Xiangxi folk, since ancient times, there has been a corpse driver industry, and corpse drivers never arbitrarily collect apprentices. The apprentice is written by the parents first, and then the corpse driver must interview. Generally speaking, you must be 16 years old and 1.7 meters tall. At the same time, there is a very special condition that you should be ugly.

Interview items

The corpse driver first shows the examinee the sun in the sky, then rotates, and then suddenly stops, so that you can distinguish between east, west, north and south at once. If you can't tell the difference, you can't be hired. Because you don't distinguish between east, west, north and south at this time, it means that you can't tell the direction of the corpse at night and can't drive the corpse; Then, the corpse driver wants you to find something and carry the burden. Because the body is not alive after all, you can't climb steep slopes. Engineers had to carry on the high slope one by one;

Finally, there is an interview, that is, the corpse driver put a tung leaf on the grave in the deep mountain for you to retrieve alone in the dark. Only in this way can you show that you have the courage to be a competent corpse driver. After Sandao Pass, you will have the possibility to be an apprentice to the corpse driver.

Professor's graffiti

The first thing Master taught his disciples was to draw symbols. This strange symbol is to draw something that looks like words and pictures on yellow paper with red ink. In case of an emergency on the way, he would hang this strange symbol on a tree or a door, and sometimes he would burn ashes and boil water to swallow it.

At the same time, the apprentice must learn 36 skills to drive the corpse. The first achievement is that the dead body "makes contributions", that is, to let the dead body stand up first. The second work is "walking work", even if the corpse stops walking freely, the third work is "turning work", that is, the corpse can turn when walking. In addition, there are downhill skills, bridge crossing skills, dumb dog skills and rejuvenation skills.

Literary records

Shen Congwen, a writer in western Hunan, described his experience of returning to his hometown to interview a famous wizard in Yuanling Man.

When Shen Congwen asked about the formula of "driving a corpse", he replied: "Nothing unusual, just reading Wen Tianxiang's Song Zhengqi. He was also allowed to perform at will, and his people shirked and said, "You can't do it without practicing kung fu. You left a long time ago. "Wandering along while, there is no purpose. But Shen Congwen seems to see through the mystery from the Voltaire smile of the wizard: "I am full of curiosity about an absurd legend that has been circulating for many years. I went to visit a person who knows life well and asked him how the dead can catch up." In his sophisticated eyes, how different is your behavior from that of a madman? "

Mechanical drag corpse

How can the dead be driven away by the living? Many scientists are studying it. Opinions vary.

Some people think that people will be stiff immediately after death. This state is called "zombie state". After 48 hours, the body will recover some softness and then become stiff. But at this time, the joints such as hip joint can still move slightly (20 degrees) under the action of external force, which is one of the physical conditions for the dead to walk. Arrange the two bodies in a line, straighten the forearms parallel to the ground, and then use a long and thin bamboo pole to fix them with a rope along the arms, so that the two bodies will be connected into a three-dimensional shelf and will not fall over (this is why two dead people are needed).

At this time, if you tie a rope to the first corpse and then gently pull it at the other end with your hand, the corpse will walk up with curved straight legs like a marionette under the action of external force. In fact, this is not as clear as "dragging". From Chuanbian to Xiangxi, the geographical condition is downhill, and the path is generally downhill. When the potential energy is converted into kinetic energy, the corpse rack is more convenient. These paths are carefully selected by the corpse carriers, and there are few uphill roads. It's really hard to move one by one. This is the biggest secret of corpse removal.

Pretend to carry the body

The so-called "corpse drive" is actually "corpse transport". The corpse driver asked someone to dismember the body and then sprayed a special potion on the residual limb to prevent the residual limb from rotting. A man's stump is on his back, wrapped in a long and big black robe and wearing a big straw hat, which covers his whole head and makes it difficult to see the outline of his face. Another person dressed as a "corpse driver" threw yellow paper in front and rang the bell to guide the corpse carrier. The two also deliberately created an atmosphere of terror, which made people afraid to get close. If the journey is long, their roles will change every day.

Other statements

CCTV's "Approaching Science" reported that a corpse carrier would leave the body with only the head and limbs, abandon the trunk and tie a new trunk with straw. When carrying, a body porter will carry the body on his back and put on a black shroud together. In order not to let the family members of the deceased see through it, the corpse driver will collect it separately, and only let the family members have a rough look at the body. This explanation does not explain how to transport multiple bodies at the same time, nor does it explain how the bodies jump forward.

According to media analysis in Taiwan Province Province, the main tool for transporting corpses is bamboo. The corpse carrier used bamboo to pass through the armpit of the deceased's big sleeve shroud, arranged several corpses together, and let two corpse carriers carry bamboo to transport the corpses. The arm of the corpse was tied to the bamboo, and the big sleeves made it possible for the bamboo to be covered; The toughness of bamboo makes it swing up and down when it moves forward, driving the corpse to swing up and down, which looks like a jumping corpse from a distance.

Another way of saying this is that "corpse removal" is actually a gang smuggling activity, and this creepy queue is used to cover up illegal drug trafficking.

Xiangxi corpse drivers must interview when they enter the business. He must be at least 16 years old, more than 1.7 meters tall, ugly and courageous to be admitted.

Xiangxi has both the world-famous Zhangjiajie and the mysterious corpse driver. In the early days, if you stayed in the mysterious mountain village inn in western Hunan, you would probably see dead bodies walking. Before dawn, a row of bodies staggered in front of the inn, all covered with a wide black shroud. In front of these bodies covered with black shroud, there is a living person holding a gong. This living person is called "corpse driver" by local people.

In fact, he is not so much a "corpse-driver" as a "corpse-driver", because he is beating the small yin gong in his hand and leading the group of corpses forward. He didn't play lanterns, but shook a bell that could evoke memories, told Nightcrawler to avoid it, and informed the dog owners to lock them up. If there are more than two bodies, the corpse driver will string them one by one with a straw rope, one every seven or eight feet. When walking in the dark, the body will wear a tall blanket hat on its head and some yellow paper with calligraphy will hang down from its forehead.

There is a "dead body inn" on the road. This mysterious "dead inn" only lives in dead bodies and corpse drivers, which ordinary people can't live in. Its gate is open all year round. Because behind the two door panels, it is where the body stops. The corpse driver rushed to the "corpse shop" before dawn and quietly left at night. The body leans neatly against the wall behind the door panel. When it is difficult to walk on rainy days, I will stop in the store for a few days and nights.

You have to go through three levels to become an apprentice.

There has been a corpse-driving industry in Xiangxi since ancient times. Learning this industry requires two conditions: courage and good health. Moreover, we must learn from our teachers. Medics never take apprentices in disorder. The apprentice is written by the parents first, and then the corpse driver must interview. Generally speaking, you must be 16 years old and 1.7 meters tall. At the same time, there is a very special condition that you should be ugly.

The corpse driver first shows the examinee the sun in the sky, then rotates, and then suddenly stops, so that you can distinguish between east, west, north and south at once. If you can't tell the difference, you can't be hired. Because you can't tell the east, west, north and south at this time, it means that you can't tell the direction at night and can't drive the car. Then, the corpse driver wants you to find something and carry the burden. Because the body is not alive after all, you can't climb steep slopes. The corpsman had to carry on the high slope one by one. Finally, there is an interview, that is, the corpse driver put a tung leaf on the grave in the deep mountain for you to retrieve alone in the dark. Only in this way can you show that you have the courage to be a competent corpse driver. After Sandao Pass, you will have the possibility to be an apprentice to the corpse driver.

Like ordinary farmers, people who drive corpses still "work at sunrise and rest at sunset." Only when they received the corpse removal business did they dress themselves up and go to the corpse removal. Although they drive corpse people, they are afraid of the name "corpse people". So the insider asked them to drive the body away and said, "Master, please take a walk" or "take a walk". If the corpse owner agrees, he will take out a special piece of yellow paper and ask you to write down the name, date of birth, date of death, gender, etc. of the deceased on this yellow paper, then draw a symbol, stick it on this yellow paper, and finally hide this yellow paper on yourself.

The corpse driver's dress is also very special: no matter what the weather is like, he has to wear a pair of straw sandals, a green cloth, a black belt around his waist, a blue cloth cap on his head and a bag of symbols hidden in his pocket.

The first thing Master taught his disciples was to draw symbols. This strange symbol is to draw something that looks like words and pictures on yellow paper with red ink. In case of an emergency on the way, he would hang this strange symbol on a tree or a door, and sometimes he would burn ashes and boil water to swallow it.

At the same time, the apprentice must learn 36 skills to drive the corpse. The first achievement is that the dead body "makes contributions", that is, to let the dead body stand up first. The second work is "walking work", even if the corpse stops walking freely, the third work is "turning work", that is, the corpse can turn when walking. In addition, there are "downhill workers", "bridge workers" and "dumb dog workers". The "dumb dog skill" can make the dogs along the way stop barking when they see the body.

Because dead bodies are afraid of dogs barking, when dogs bark, dead bodies will be frightened, especially when dogs bite, and dead bodies have no resistance. The body will be bitten to pieces. The last kind of work is "rejuvenation work". The better the rejuvenation work, the more souls there will be, and it is especially easy to catch up with the dead body. This kind of "rejuvenation" is actually sprinkled on the body with a herb unique to Xiangxi.

It is particularly worth mentioning that this peculiar industry can only work in the western part of southern Hunan. Because, first, only Xiangxi has a "dead body inn". Second, only Xiangxi people smell the little yin gong of the corpse driver and know to avoid it. Third, there are highways outside Xiangxi village, and other provincial roads generally pass through the village. Of course, they won't allow the bodies to enter the village. 4. Xiangxi people will take the initiative to lock their dogs at home when they smell the sound of Yin Gong. Otherwise, when dogs come out, they will bite the body. Therefore, this strange corpse-driving industry is only available in Xiangxi.

How can the dead be driven away by the living? Many scientists are studying it. Opinions vary. Maybe one day, this strange industry and phenomenon that ordinary people can't understand will get the scientific explanation it deserves. However, another way of saying it is that "corpse removal" is actually a smuggling activity of gangs, and this creepy queue is used to cover up illegal drug trafficking.