The neon lights of Jianghan Road cannot illuminate the shadows of Jiali Plaza, the waves of the Yangtze River cannot illuminate the scorch marks of Pumpkin Hill Crematorium, the stairs of Wuhan University Butterfly Palace hide the unfinished graduation thesis, and the Demon Suppression Monument at the bottom of the river locks up decades of secrets - Wuhan is a city wrapped in the atmosphere of rivers and lakes, and every old alley and every old building is buried with folk rumors that have been dusted by time.
I am a columnist for "Jiangcheng Folklore". I stepped into Belle Plaza to pursue the "supernatural stories of the old business district", but I saw a woman in a red wedding dress wandering in the corridor on the fourth floor. Half of a silver hairpin with "Jiang Hua" engraved on it was involved in the 1998 case of the disappearance of a Hong Kong developer with money; I followed the guide into Caidian In Pumpkin Hill, the headless ghost crawling out of the abandoned crematorium, clutching the burnt paper with "Shen Zhiqiang" written on it, is vaguely connected to the misappropriation of public funds at the paper mill twenty years ago; on a rainy night, the old man on the river beach pointed to the demon-suppressing monument in the middle of the river, and the roar under the nine iron chains was actually related to the female college student who disappeared in the sea of fire in the Butterfly Palace.
The stitches of the red wedding dress are embroidered with unsaid vows, the ashes of the corpse cremator hide the unsolved truth, and the stone tablets at the bottom of the river lock up unfulfilled obsessions. When the folk rumors scattered in the corners of Wuhan were connected one after another, and when the name "Shen Zhiqiang" appeared repeatedly in different strange scenes, I discovered that the ghost stories in this city were never made up out of thin air - they were missing persons notices carved in time by those who had been let down and forgotten.
Every light, every river, and every building in Wuhan is waiting for an answer. And what I have to do is follow those looming ghost figures, amid the intertwining fireworks and gloom.
Reader comments
Five-star recommendation! The pyrotechnics of Wuhan's local ghost story are thrilling and have great stamina]
This "Collection of Ghost Stories from Wuhan" is by no means simply "scary", it combines the pyrotechnics and horror of Wuhan just right - next to the hot dry noodle stall in Hubu Lane, there may be ghosts of diners from a hundred years ago; in the middle of the night on the Yangtze River Bridge, there will be whispers of drowned people echoing in the river breeze; even Tan Hualin's old bungalow has the afterimage of a lady from the Republic of China behind the window lattice...
The author knows Wuhan so well! Integrating premature culture, dock legends, and old alley secrets into the story, each ghost story carries the label of "Wuhan exclusive". For example, in "The Morning Promise of the Hot Dry Noodle Stall Owner", the owner who runs the stall at three o'clock in the morning is actually preparing noodles for the "ghost" of his regular customers; in "The Last Passenger of the River Beach Ferry", the woman in red who always appears on the last boat is closely linked to the 1938 shipwreck.
The most amazing thing is the "warmth in horror". These ghosts do not exist to scare people. Some are old Wuhan people with lingering obsessions who stick to their own habits (such as refusing to leave until they eat a bowl of hot dry noodles); some are elders who care about their future generations and protect their families in special ways. After reading it, not only did I not feel scared, but I became more fascinated by the old stories of Wuhan. I even wanted to squat in Hubu Alley in the middle of the night to see if I could meet the ghost stall owner of hot dry noodles...
Friends who like folklore thrillers and local ghost stories must read this. This is not a ghost story, but an urban legend cooked up by Wuhan people with fireworks. It has a long lasting power. After reading it, all I can think about is "Ghosts in Wuhan also like to eat hot dry noodles, right?"
Five-star recommendation! The pyrotechnics of Wuhan's local ghost story are thrilling and have great stamina] This "Collection of Ghost Stories from Wuhan" is by no means simply "scary", it combines the pyrotechnics and horror of Wuhan just right - next to the hot dry noodle stall in Hubu Lane, there may be ghosts of diners from a hundred years ago; in the middle of the night on the Yangtze River Bridge, there will be whispers of drowned people echoing in the river breeze; even Tan Hualin's old bungalow has the afterimage of a lady from the Republic of China behind the window lattice... The author knows Wuhan so well! Integrating premature culture, dock legends, and old alley secrets into the story, each ghost story carries the label of "Wuhan exclusive". For example, in "The Morning Promise of the Hot Dry Noodle Stall Owner", the owner who runs the stall at three o'clock in the morning is actually preparing noodles for the "ghost" of his regular customers; in "The Last Passenger of the River Beach Ferry", the woman in red who always appears on the last boat is closely linked to the 1938 shipwreck. The most amazing thing is the "warmth in horror". These ghosts do not exist to scare people. Some are old Wuhan people with lingering obsessions who stick to their own habits (such as refusing to leave until they eat a bowl of hot dry noodles); some are elders who care about their future generations and protect their families in special ways. After reading it, not only did I not feel scared, but I became more fascinated by the old stories of Wuhan. I even wanted to squat in Hubu Alley in the middle of the night to see if I could meet the ghost stall owner of hot dry noodles... Friends who like folklore thrillers and local ghost stories must read this. This is not a ghost story, but an urban legend cooked up by Wuhan people with fireworks. It has a long lasting power. After reading it, all I can think about is "Ghosts in Wuhan also like to eat hot dry noodles, right?"