Gong Li plays Baigujing, or White Bone Spirit, in a still from the 2016 film The Monkey King 2. Jing, or spirits, are living and non-living entities in Chinese culture that, unlike yao (demons), do not only manifest in human form. -- Photo: Filmko Entertainment/SCMP
BEIJING (SCMP): According to ancient Chinese legend, the Hungry Ghost Festival – which falls on September 6 this year – is when the gate to the underworld opens, allowing ghosts of the deceased to pass through to the realm of the living.
But not all ancestors have good intentions, and it is not just human souls that take their once-a-year opportunity to visit the earthly dimension.
