The Investigation of Zombie Stories in Zi bu yu and the Sequel Xu Zi bu yu

Abstract

It seems that the studies on `zombie` in Chinese culture has been neglected by scholars despite of its significance, and the content, narrative and implication of `zombie` have thus not been fully analyzed. However, not only the idea of zombie has been broadly accepted in Chinese folk culture, its existence has also been mentioned in many ghost-related literature works. Through the investigation of the materials concerning zombie in Chinese classic novels, it is indicated that, during Tang, Song and the previous dynasties, there were only few random accounts, the stories about zombie only started to become prevailing after Ming dynasty, especially in Qing dynasty. Among all the works, the Zi bu yu and Xu Zi bu yu by Yuan Mei (袁枚) are the most significant ones which include altogether 34 articles of zombie. These works offer a variety of description about zombie, as well as perspectives for the analyses of zombie. Therefore, this essay focuses on these two books, illustrates the nature of zombie and the connotation of the Necro-shifting of corpse into zombie. Moreover, it also investigates the factors causing the Necro-shifting, the occasion and site conditioning the appearance of zombie, identifies the types, identities and images of zombie as well as the capacity, frailty of zombie and the way of defeating the zombie. Then, this work tries to explore the emotional projection and implication of those zombie stories.

歷來少見有關僵屍的專門論述，而僵屍故事的實質內容、敘寫方式以及表達意涵為何，也未見相關述介。然民俗信仰相信僵屍的存在，在許多鬼文化的著作中也提到僵屍鬼。筆者翻檢古典小說中與僵屍有關的材料，發現唐、宋及其以前的記述並不多，且頗為零散；明以後尤其清代則多見之。其中尤以袁枚創作的《子不語》、《續子不語》二書收錄最多，計有三十四篇。不但對僵屍有所議論，其描寫更是全面而多樣，故本文即以此二書為論述主軸，分就：僵屍與屍變釋義；屍變的原因；僵屍出現的時間和地點；僵屍的類型與身分、形象；僵屍的能耐、畏忌及伏制方法；以及僵屍故事中的情感投射等各項議題作探討