Moon Mausoleum
An online magazine about the paranormal, haunted and macabre. We collect the ghost stories from all around the world as well as review horror and gothic media.
Behind the colorful masks at the Peking Opera stage at the Huguang Huiguan Opera House in Beijing, there are some ghostly visitors that were there long before the opera house was built and may be there long after.
Behind the colorful masks at the Peking Opera stage at the Huguang Huiguan Opera House in Beijing, there are some ghostly visitors that were there long before the opera house was built and may be there long after.
Step back in time to the haunting world of the Huguang Huiguan Opera House (湖广会馆) that are the most renowned Peking Opera theaters by the Hufang Bridge in Beijing, China. For decades, this legendary venue was home to macabre performances and mysterious stories that have remained alive even today.
Peking Opera has an easily recognisable and distinct style and with the plot being ingrained in the movement of the actors, colorful masks and were the color of the robe show what rank the character are the high pitched singing and traditional musical instruments like the jinghu being used.
The Huguang Huiguan Opera House was first established in 1807 during the Qing Dynasty made mainly for Hunan and Hubei people in Beijing and was mainly made for living and gathering.
Over the years it transitioned until it became the famous opera house it is today and it has held magnificent performances of traditional opera and other theatrical shows and was known as one of the four great opera houses in Beijing.
Rumors and stories of a supernatural presence have indulged the imaginations of guides, visitors and locals alike for a long time. Tales have been spread about strange occurrences involving ghostly apparitions, eerie noises, and unexplainable events that occur within its walls.
Other legends say it is even rumored that wandering souls can be seen drifting in and out of the building at night. Who are these specters, and how did they come about?
According to the legends, the opera house was actually built as a place for poor people that had lost their home in a war. Not all talk about it being built for poor people as it did turn out to be a pretty exclusive and popular place among the celebrities and powerful people in society.
They made one crucial mistake when they built the building though. They managed to build it upon an ancient burial site and it is said that it angered the spirit and awoke them from the dead and came back to haunt the building.
Apparently they can hear screaming as well and a local legend say that if you throw a stone into the courtyard, you can hear voices screaming at you. This is said to be of the old groundskeeper, an old man with leprosy that had a face so disfigured that no person wanted to come up to him and have a conversation. It is said that after he died he joined the ancient ghosts and stayed on to keep an eye on the opera house.
