In Chinese thought, the world is populated by a vast number of spirits, both good and evil. Such spirits include nature demons, evil spirits or devils, and ghosts. Evil spirits are believed to avoid light and many rituals involving fire and light have developed, such as the use of bonfires, firecrackers, and torches. Evil spirits are also traditionally believed to travel in straight line, which explains many curvy roads throughout China. If a spirit is not kept happy, perhaps because it had a bad death, an improper burial or has no descendents to perform the proper rituals, it becomes a ghost (sometimes called a "hungry ghost," a term with Buddhist origins). Ghosts may attack human beings to prompt them to meet the ghosts' needs or at least to draw attention to their plight. Ghosts receive the most attentions during Ghost Month, the seventh month in the Chinese lunar year, and especially during the Ghost Festival on the fifteenth day. The Hungry Ghost Festival has its roots in the Buddhist festival Ullambana, and also in Daoist culture. In the Tang Dynasty, the Buddhist festival Ullambana and its traditional festivities were mixed and celebrated on one day. Thus, the Ghost Festival has a special meaning for all Buddhists. The Chinese believe that the dead become ghosts who roam between Heaven and Earth on the day of their death. Spirits without descendants to make offerings to them are fed during the ghost festival, so that they may not cause trouble to the living. This custom, an extension of the traditional Chinese notion of 'universal love', was started after the legend "Mulien Saving his Mother from Hades", giving Ghost festival a dimension of filial piety. Traditionally, ancestor worship was an important part of the festivals. with activities including preparing ritualistic offerings of food, and burning ghost money and bags containing cloth to please the visiting ghosts and spirits of one's ancestors, as well as other deities. Other activities include, burying and releasing miniature paper boats and lanterns in rivers, which signifies "giving directions to the lost ghosts and spirits of the ancestors and other deities." A very solemn festival of ancestor worship, it nevertheless represents a connection between ancestors and their descendants, the living and the dead, earth and heaven, as well as body and soul. In Chinese tradition, the seventh month in the Chinese calendar is called the Ghost Month, in which ghosts and spirits, including those of deceased ancestors, come out from the underground world to visit earth. The Hungry Ghost Festival is the climax of a series of the Ghost Month celebrations. It is said that the ghosts would wander on the streets at night, so people are advised not to go out at night. There are also many other taboos: moving a house, opening a business, and holding a wedding ceremony should all be avoided, swimming and other water sports are also shunned. If a child is born on this day, their birth date would usually be changed when registered or celebrated to remove any doubt that they might be in contact with a ghost. If someone dies on this day it would upset the family, as it is believed that the deceased would leave with the ghosts. Although the romantic festival of Chinese Valentine's Day falls in the same month, the ghosts still make a strong impression on people's minds. It is said that you will meet the ghosts when you go out during the night, and if you don't believe it, someone will tell you that they have seen ghosts with their own eyes. To some, the lunar seventh month is more scary than romantic. The ghosts take many forms depending on the way in which the person died, and are often harmful. Many of the Chinese ghost beliefs have been accepted by neighbouring cultures, notably Japan and south-east Asia. Ghost beliefs are closely associated with the traditional Chinese religion based on ancestor worship, many of which were incorporated in Taoism. Later beliefs were influenced by Buddhism, and in turn influenced and created uniquely Chinese Buddhist beliefs. Many Chinese people today consider that it is possible to contact the spirits of their ancestors through a medium, and that the ancestor can help their descendants if properly respected and rewarded. The annual ghost festival is celebrated by Chinese around the world. On this day ghosts and spirits, including those of the deceased ancestors, come out from the lower realm. Ghosts are described in classical Chinese texts, and continue to be depicted in modern literature and movies. There are many different types of spirits in the Chinese folklore such as Diao Si Gui, Ba Jiao Gui, You Hun Ye Gui, Gui Po, Nui Gui, Yuan Gui, Shui Gui, Wu Tou gui, Er Gui, Jiang Shi, Ying Ling, Hei Ba Wu Chang, and Niu Tou Ma Mia. Diao Si Gui is the ghost of someone who has been hanged, either in execution or suicide. They are usually shown with long red tongues sticking out. Ba Jiao Gui is a female ghost which dwells in a banana tree and appears wailing under the tree at night, sometimes carrying a baby. In some folk tales from Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia, some greedy people ask for lottery numbers from the ghost in hope of winning money. They tie a red string around the tree trunk and stick sharp needles into it and then tie the other end of the string to his/her bed. At night, the ghost appears and begs the person to set her free in return for winning lottery numbers. If the person does not full fill his/her promise to set the ghost free after winning the lottery, he/she will meet with a horrifying death. This ghost is often likened to the Pontianak from Malay folklore. You Hun Gui is the wandering spirits of the dead. They roam the world of the living during the Hungry Ghost Festival for a month. They include vengeful spirits who take their revenge, hungry ghosts and playful spirits who may cause trouble during that period. Some of them have no relatives to look after them after death, some have no respect place to go and some lose their way and are unable to return to the Underworld so they continue roaming the world of the living even after that month. They have other names such as You Ying Gong. Some scholars classify them. The Chinese proverb "Gu Hun Ye Gui", which describes these spirits, is used as a reference to those who wander around aimlessly. Some of may become good and powerful Wang Ye. Gui Po is a ghost which takes the form of a kind and friendly old woman. They may be the spirits of Amahs who used to work as servants in rich families. They return to help their masters with housekeeping matters or to take care of young children and babies. Some may have hideous appearances and look hostile like witches in fairy tales. Nui Gui is a vengeful female ghost with long hair in a white dress. In folklore this ghost is the spirit of a woman who commits suicide while wearing a red dress. She usually meets with some injustice, such as being wronged or sexually abused, while she was alive. She returns to take her revenge. A tabloid story tells of a funeral ceremony where family members of a murder victim dress her in red, hoping that her spirit would return to take revenge on her murderer. In traditional folklore, the colour red symbolises anger and vengeance when applied to ghosts. On the other hand, some ancient folk tales tell of beautiful female ghosts who seduce men and suck their "Yang" essence or sometimes kill them. This type of female ghost is likened to the Western Succubus. Paradoxically, a vengeful male ghost (“Nan Gui”) is rarely depicted. Yuan gui is the The spirits of those who have died wrongful deaths. The idea appeared very early on in China. Their spirits cannot rest in peace and go to the Underworld for reincarnation. They roam the world of the living as depressed and restless spirits who constantly seek to have their grievances redressed. In some popular tales, the spirits would approach a kind living person and attempt to communicate with them in order to lead the person to clues which point out that they have died wrongful deaths. The living person would then help them clear their name or otherwise ensure that justice is done. Shui Gui literally means "water ghost". They are usually the spirits of those who drowned and continue living in the water. They attack unsuspecting victims by dragging them underwater and drowning them in order to take possession of the victim's body. This is known as "Ti Shen”, which means to "replace the body", as the spirit will now return to the living in the victim's body, whereas the victim's spirit becomes the new "water ghost" and seeks to return to the living again. The cycle repeats constantly. Wu Tou Gui is headless ghosts who roam about aimlessly. They are usually the spirits of those who have been sentenced to execution by beheading. In some popular tales, these ghosts approach the living at night and ask where their heads are. Sometimes they are shown as carrying their severed heads on their side. Er Gui is a hungry ghost which usually appears during the Hungry Ghost Festival. The ghost is the spirit of a person who has committed sins of greed while he/she was alive and condemned to suffer in hunger after death. The ghost has a mouth which is too small for ingesting food and is covered with green or grey skin, sometimes with a potbelly as well. The ghost suffers from malnutrition and insatiable hunger. It haunts the streets and kitchens, searching for food offerings and decomposed food to satisfy its hunger. These hungry ghosts consume anything that can satisfy their hunger, including excreted waste and rotten flesh. There are various types of hungry ghosts. Some of them have fire-breathing abilities while others suffer from anorexia. Jiang Shi is the Chinese "vampire" which literally means "stiff corpse". In fact, it behaves more like a zombie rather than a vampire. They are reanimated corpses which move by hopping and kill living beings to absorb their "life essence". They arise when the soul of the dead fails to leave the corpse due to improper death or simply out of mischief. Mostly of them were digging out by the “Black Priest” or we called it “Bomoh“ for their own use. Ying Ling is the spirits of those who have died before birth as a human. They purportedly originated from Japan but most of the memorial services are held for them in Taiwan. Hei Ba Wu Chang is the Black Guard of Impermanence and White Guard of Impermanence- guards of Hell who are tasked to lead the spirits of the dead to the Underworld after death. The White Guard and the Black Guard are in charge of evil and good spirits respectively. They are worshipped in some Chinese temples and are colloquially referred to as "Da Ye Bo and "Er Ye Bo”, which means "Great Grand-Elder" and "Second Grand Elder" respectively. They wear tall hats bearing Chinese characters and long robes which cover their entire bodies. They carry seals on their right hands and sticks with pieces of cloth on their left hands. In some tales, they appear during the Hungry Ghost Festival and reward the good by granting them pieces of gold. Statues of them in temples depict them as having ferocious snarls on their faces and with long red tongues sticking out to scare away evil spirits. They are called General Fan and General Xie or 7th master and 8th master. The White Wuchang is called "Xie Bi-An". He is tall and thin, and people call him "Qi-Ye (7th master)". The Black Wuchang is called "Fan Wu-jiu ". He is short and fat, and people call him "Ba-Ye (8th master)". It was said that they were policemen in ancient time. During a prisoner transfer, they lost the prisoner, so they decided to split up to search for the prisoner. They planned to meet up under the Bridge. However, it was raining hard, and Xie Bi-an did not make it in time. Fan Wujiu was waiting under the Bridge for a long time and dared not leave. Eventually, Fan was drowned when the flood came. When Xie arrived and saw Fan was dead, he killed himself by hanging. Afterwards, the Heavenly Emperor saw that they were loyal to their duties and each other, so he appointed them gods to pick up dead people's spirits. There are supposed spiritual meanings about their names. "Xie Bi-an" means that one would be saved if one sacrifice to the gods or repent. "Fan Wu-jiu" means if one committed sins (Fan zui), one would not be saved (Wu-jiu). Lastly, the Niu Tou Ma Mian are Guards of the Underworld similar to the "Hei Bai Wu Chang" originating from the Song Dynasty tale Transmission of the Lamp. They have the heads of a bull and a horse in place of human heads, hence the term "Niu Tou Ma Mian", which translates to "Bull Head and Horse Face". They carry pitchforks and chains to bind spirits. The size and weight of the chain used reflects the seriousness of the sins committed by the spirit. In Chinese folklores, Zhong Kui is a god who exorcises ghosts and evil spirits. As legend has it, he lived in Zhongnan Mountain in the early Tang Dynasty. He was born with a panther-like head, ring-like eyes, an iron face and curly whiskers. Though very ugly, he was a profoundly learned and talented figure. As a man of integrity, he always upheld justice and feared no evil or mischievous being. In 712 when Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty ascended the throne, Zhong Kui went to Chang'an to take the imperial civil examination. Impressed by Zhong's five poems entitled Holding Banquets in Yingzhou, the chief examiner praised him as a prodigy and enrolled him top of all examinees. During the palace examination, however, a treacherous minister named Lu Qi judged Zhong Kui by the appearance, and repeatedly spoke ill of him before the emperor. As a result, Zhong Kui failed to claim championship in the exam. Infuriated, he bumped his head against a pillar in the palace and thus killed himself. The entire court was shocked. Then Emperor Dezong issued an imperial edict, conferring upon Zhong Kui the title of Demon Queller who traveled all over the world to kill the evil and expel the wicked. In addition, the official title of Number One Scholar was also buried with him. The Painting of Zhong Kui Catching a Ghost, very popular among the folk people, comes from a story recorded in The Book of Unofficial History. Depicting Zhong Kui catching the evil spirit, it is believed to convey the message of avoiding calamity and bringing on good fortune. Therefore, people often buy the painting on festivals and put it up at home. Previously, people would hang paintings of Zhong Kui on New Year's Eve only. Currently, however, it is on Dragon Boat Festival (5th day of the 5th lunar month) that people paint Zhong Kui, hang the picture in their own houses or give it away as a present. The change originated in 1757, the 22nd year of the Reign of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty. A great many people died of plague that year. Helplessly, people resorted to Zhong Kui for help. They bought and put up Zhong's paintings, expecting him to exorcise the evil with his might. In the following years, the practice was continued and gradually developed into a custom. There are various practices and beliefs in the Chinese folklore to connect to the other side of the world or the world of spirit. Mediums are use to communicate with spirits and is much more important in traditional Chinese culture than in Western societies, and is closely linked to ancestor worship. The medium (mun mai poh) or "ask rice woman" helps to ask the ancestor what they require on the other side, and these needs can be provided through the burning of paper effigies. In return, the spirit can be of great help in matters such as winning the lottery or being admitted to low-cost government housing. The person visiting the medium will take a cup of rice from their kitchen to identify the family. Through these communications the dead help the living while the living helps the dead. The name involves a pun, since with a change in intonation "ask rice" becomes "spirit medium". When someone dies, it is important to perform the correct rites to ensure that the departed ancestor does not become a wandering ghost. Since the corpse, or at least the bones, continues to have powers that could affect the fate of living relatives, an expert in feng-shui is needed to determine an auspicious time, place, and orientation of the burial. In Chinese tradition, a ghost marriage (also known as a Minghun or spirit marriage) is a marriage in which one or both parties are deceased. A ghost marriage was usually set up by the family of the deceased and performed for a number of reasons, including the marriage of a couple previously engaged before one member’s death, to integrate an unmarried daughter into a patrilineage, to ensure the family line is continued, or to maintain that no younger brother is married before an elder brother. In my point of view, I believe that spirits do exist. Even though I am not fully accepting the view of the ancient Chinese folklore on the various types of ghosts and spirits that exist, however, I believe the existence of the other side of the world or the world of spirits. Although, I have not personally encounter or seen one in my life, but I do think that spirits are living within the society. In conclusion, it depends on the individual whether to believe it or not. There is a saying that goes if you believe in the existence something it will eventually exist and if you do not believe in it therefore it will not exist. Lastly, it is no harm to believe in the existence of spirits, but never overly believe in it.