10 Most Haunted Places in Beijing

The ghost of executed prisoners, concubines in old palaces and poltergeists in modern buildings, let’s have a look at some of the Most Haunted Places in Beijing.

The capital of China, Beijing is today a city of contrasts with some of the oldest and historic buildings right next to the newest and most modern one. The bustling streets and ancient alleyways of Beijing holds tales of ghostly encounters and spectral sightings from mysterious things lurking in the old palaces and horror stories from the modern apartment buildings.

For a more extensive list of haunted ghost stories from Beijing and China as a whole, head over to the archive filled with them here. But in this article, let’s have a closer look of some of the most haunted places in Beijing.

Chaonei No. 81 | 朝内81号 | Beijing — The horror house in the former church

Shadowy figures in the window, chilling entrance during the summer, the old and haunted church in Beijing called Chaonei No. 81, keeps its secrets close to the chest. The famous haunted house is believed to be haunted by a woman said to have taken her life inside.

Most Haunted Places in Beijing
Most Haunted Places in China — *Most Haunted Places in Beijing*

Amidst the bustling streets and ancient alleyways of Beijing, looms Chaonei No. 81, a place whispered in hushed tones as the “Beijing Horror House.” Within its walls, shadowy figures are said to dance behind curtained windows, their ghostly forms flickering in and out of view like phantoms in the night.

According to the most commonly told legend, it is to a woman that once resided in Chaonei No. 81. The woman is said to have been a wife or maybe a lover of an officer of the Kuomintang (KMT, or the nationalist party of China) that fought against the communist party during the Chinese civil war in the 1940s. The nationalist lost, and fled to Taiwan as the communists came into power. The woman was allegedly left behind by her officer man who fled with the army to Taiwan, and she is said to have hung herself from the rafters of the house.

Even on the hottest summer days, an icy chill hangs heavy in the air, sending shivers down the spines of all who dare to approach one of the most haunted places in Beijing.

Read the whole story here: Chaonei No. 81 — Beijing Horror House

The Beijing Subway | 北京地铁 | — Perhaps the Most Haunted Places in Beijing throughout the city?

white train bench and door — *Most Haunted Places in Beijing*

Beneath the bustling streets of Beijing lies a shadowy realm steeped in mystery and dread: the haunted subway. From spirits to ghosts, tales of strange encounters abound in this underground labyrinth – with many passengers claiming to have experienced something extraordinary while riding along Metro Line No. 1. According to legends, people have disappeared into the tunnels and simply vanished into thin air, never to be seen again, and some people claimed that something sinister had pushed passengers onto the rails.

But what bones exactly were disturbed during the construction as has been told according to the legends? There is more than one story about what graves they encountered when building the metro line, perhaps making it one of the most haunted places in Beijing. On Line 1 there is a subway station called Gongzhufen Station, or The Princess Tombs that have several local legends connected to the place. line one was made right through their tomb, a ghost story centered around this subway station started, when the passengers and staff started seeing a female ghost on the station platform, wearing a traditional Qing dress and sometimes being carried in a sedan chair.

From phantom footsteps echoing through deserted corridors to ghostly apparitions glimpsed in the flickering lights, the subway’s spectral inhabitants cast a chilling pall over the underground labyrinth.

Read the whole story here: Take the Haunted Subway in Beijing

Prince Gong’s Mansion | 恭王府 | Beijing — The ghost of a grieving mother in white

From modern urban legends to old ghost stories from the ancient buildings and palaces, here is a list of some of the most haunted places in China. — *Most Haunted Places in Beijing*

The mansion is considered one of the most exquisite Chinese imperial mansions, representing the elegant lifestyle of Qing Dynasty royalty as well as being one of the most haunted places in Beijing.

One of the most haunting phenomena reported is the apparition of a woman cloaked in white, her ethereal presence lingering in the corridors and shadowy corners of the mansion. Legend has it that she is the ghost of a grieving mother, Feng Jiwen , forever trapped in a state of sorrow and anguish after the untimely loss of her beloved son when he died in a battle fighting rebels.

It is said she died of a broken heart soon after. She and several former escorts have been seen around the palace, and the guards working there have claimed to have seen a woman in white walking the premises. Her mournful wails are said to echo through the halls, sending shivers down the spines of all who dare to venture within.

Read the whole story here: The Haunted History of Prince Gong’s Mansion in Beijing

The Bell Tower Goddess of Beijing | 鐘樓 | Di’anmen Outer Street, Dongcheng District —

Perched majestically at the heart of Beijing stands the Bell Tower, a silent sentinel guarding ancient secrets and spectral tales. Among its whispered legends is that of the Bell Tower Goddess, a spectral figure said to inhabit the tower’s hallowed halls. According to legend it was a man named Deng, an official with the mission to create this new bronze bell. They tried so hard for over a year to get the perfect bell that sounded as clear and loud as they needed for the emperor.

With the date coming up they grew more and more desperate. The whole family felt it, especially Deng’s daughter as she was afraid it would bring shame on her family, her father in particular. In a desperate last attempt, the daughter flung herself into the fire, sacrificing herself to get the heat needed to make the bell. The father tried to stop her and reached out to save her. The only thing he managed to get a hold of, was one of her embroidered slippers, the only thing left of her after being consumed in the furnace.

On particularly stormy nights the bell doesn’t chime as clear as it usually does, but emits a sound, sounding distinctly as the words ‘xie’, meaning shoes in Chinese. The haunted spirit of the girl who sacrificed herself still echoes through the bell. And the mothers that lived were the bell was heard would tuck their children in, telling them ‘Go to sleep, the Bell Tower is ringing, the Goddess wants her slipper back’.

Read the whole story here: The Bell Tower Goddess of Beijing

The Great Wall of China | 萬里長城/万里长城 | Northern China — Sounds of ghostly battle cries seeping through the mist

Shrouded in mist and mystery, the Great Wall of China reveals its darker secrets to those who dare to listen. The Great Wall of China is the longest man-made structure in the world and stretches for 8,850 km and it is said that it is also a haunted place, perhaps one of the most haunted places in Beijing area even?

Tourists and visitors claim to have seen soldiers patrolling the wall as well as hearing the sound of marching footsteps belonging to no one. The worst stories are those claiming to be overcome with a sudden nausea and dizziness that must have been something else than the steep steps of the wall. Many who traverse its ancient pathways speak of spectral apparitions, phantom warriors condemned to eternal vigilance along the rugged terrain.

Read the whole story here: Hidden Haunted Wonders of the Great Wall of China

Caishikou Execution Grounds | 菜市口法场 | Chaoyang District — Haunted by the ghosts of executed prisoners

Explore the grim history of the Caishikou Execution Grounds in Beijing where countless executions took place, and some say that is haunted by the people that met their end there. — *Most Haunted Places in Beijing*

The legends of Caishikou Execution Grounds, shrouded in a veil of darkness and dread with execution methods like Death by a Thousand Cuts. The exact location of the execution grounds in modern day urban Beijing has been a matter of debate for some time as it was definitely not the only place in Beijing they held executions. While most people agree that it is located in what is now the Chaoyang District of Beijing, there is disagreement about exactly which area it was located in and its size. What is definitely said though is that the area is one of the most haunted places in Beijing.

This macabre site bears witness to a chilling chapter in history, where countless souls met their untimely demise. Because of its dark history and the blood that was shed on the spot, many claim that this is one of the more haunted places in the city and there have been many reports about people seeing the ghost of the executed convicts in the old vegetable market.

The most talked about ghosts haunting this site must be The Six Gentlemen of the Hundred Days Reform (戊戌六君子) or the Six Gentlemen of Wuxu who were executed by the Empress Dowager Cixi in 1898 by beheading. These executed men are said to be haunting the place as well as Chinese history and the what if of what would have happened to the course of the country if the reforms had been successful.

Read the whole story here: The Dark History of the Caishikou Execution Grounds

The Forbidden City | 紫禁城 | Beijing — Ghost of Concubines and curses at one of the most haunted places in Beijing

Built in the early 1400s, Beijing’s Forbidden City, or Zijin Cheng in Chinese (紫禁城), literally means the purple forbidden city and is a complex of majestic buildings and grounds that bears witness to the rise and fall of China’s powerful emperors and countless of people that lived and worked inside of the imperial walls. It is also perhaps one of the most haunted places in Beijing.

Legends speak of curses woven into the very fabric of these Imperial Palaces, warning those who dare to tread where mortals are forbidden. It is not just a singular haunted spot, but a plethora of them? There were also said to be a well outside Jinghe Gate where a group of female ghosts live. Fortunately there was an iron plate on Jinghe Gate to suppress them, otherwise they would come out every day. In the middle of Sanhai On the Jin’ao Jade Bridge it was said that every three years a person walking over it would be pulled down by a ghost under the bridge.”

One story that keeps being repeated is that of the crying women, and in the Forbidden City, there were plenty of them throughout the years. Many speculate it is the ghost of one or more concubines as the crying woman is often seen in or around the quarter for the imperial concubines.

Read the whole story here: The Secrets of Beijing’s Haunted Forbidden City

The Haunted Apartment Building | 劲松街道 | Jinsong — A mass haunting making people flee their homes

big residential building with lights in windows — *Most Haunted Places in Beijing* – Illustration Photo by 尾賀

In 1984, a wave of terror gripped the residents of a residential building around Jinsong in Beijing, as rumors of haunting spread like wildfire. In the dark when they came home from work or peeked outside in the corridors, the people living there could hear miserable crying as soon as you stepped inside the building. There were also ghostly shadows that roamed around on the walls as the lights flickered on and off.

People didn’t want to live in this haunted building in Jinsong, even though the building itself was brand new. And after a while of experiencing all the paranormal stuff going on, the residents moved out, one by one and the building was left empty. Or was it?

One chilling encounter involved an old lady who encountered a mysterious figure standing outside her door, a harrowing sight that left her trembling and traumatized. As news of the haunting spread, even making it to the newspapers, scientists and authorities were called in to investigate, but the truth behind the supernatural occurrences remained elusive. While some attributed the disturbances to teenage mischief, others speculated darker forces at play, leaving the mystery of Jinsong’s haunting unsolved and shrouded in uncertainty.

Read the whole story here: The Ghost House in Jinsong Terrorizing the Residents

Last Bus to Fragrant Hill | Beijing — The cities most haunting urban legend

As dusk descends upon the bustling streets of Beijing, an eerie tale whispers through the city’s alleys and avenues, shrouded in mystery and dread. There are many public transportation systems with haunted lore attached to them like, the Haunted Subway in Beijing or The Haunted Metro Stations on Hong Kong MTR’s Island Line that could have made the list of Most Haunted Places in Beijing. But the most told ghost story though, comes from the buses.

The legend of the Last Bus to Fragrant Hill, also known as Bus 330, haunts the minds of those who dare to venture into the realm of urban folklore. On a fateful November night in 1995, passengers board the No. 330 (many different numbers in different variations of the legend) bus departing from Yuanmingyuan main station bound for Fragrant Hill in Beijing. Among them are a young couple, an old woman, and the bus driver and conductor.

As the bus traverses the darkened streets, it encounters two peculiar passengers dressed in Qing Dynasty attire, accompanied by a seemingly unconscious man. Despite the oddity of their appearance, the passengers pay little attention, assuming them to be part of a film crew. However, the atmosphere takes a sinister twist when the old woman accuses one of the Qing Dynasty-clad men of theft, claiming he stole her wallet.

Sensing danger, the old woman persuades another passenger to get off with her, revealing that the strange men are legless ghosts from the Qing Dynasty. The bus mysteriously vanishes without a trace. Days later, the bus is discovered submerged in Miyun Reservoir, its interior bearing signs of a grisly demise: three bloodied corpses in advanced stages of decomposition.

Read the whole story here: The Disappearance of the Last Bus to Fragrant Hill in Beijing

The Tomb of General Yuan | 袁崇煥 | Chongwen District — The ever watching guardian in one of Most Haunted Places in Beijing

The Tomb of General Yuan, is found amidst the bustling streets of Beijing and holds an old tale of heroism, betrayal, and lingering unrest. General Yuan Chonghuan, a revered military leader of the Ming Dynasty, met a tragic fate at the hands of his own court, accused unjustly of treason and sentenced to a gruesome death by lingchi, the infamous “death by a thousand cuts.”

Despite his valiant efforts in defending China’s borders and repelling invading forces, General Yuan’s reputation was tarnished, and his demise marked by indignity and cruelty. Legend has it that his spirit, bound by duty and unfulfilled justice, haunts his final resting place, guarded faithfully by the She family for generations.

The tomb, hidden amidst modernity, has since gotten a haunted reputation and it is said that General Yuan is still guarding his post, even in his afterlife.

Read the whole story here: The Haunted Tomb of General Yuan

Most Haunted Places in Beijing

So these were some of the Most Haunted Places in Beijing, but far from everyone. For more ghost stories from Chine, head over to the archive with more haunted places, urban legends and ghosts from China.