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.
Confucius once said: “Respect the ghosts and gods, but keep away from them.” This seems to be the standpoint of haunted ghost stories in China to this day as well and people can go far to avoid the mere rumor of a ghost. Apartments thought to be haunted are avoided, haunted buildings are torn down and people pay good money to have places cleansed for any lingering spirit.
Although ghosts are thought to be avoided there are no shortage of haunted places or ghost stories from China. From the old and ancient palaces to the urban high risers, they all have stories to tell.
If you are interested in the full list of articles written about ghost stories and haunted places in China, head over here.
Here is a closer look at the most haunted places in China.
Fengdu Ghost City | 丰都鬼城 | Chongqing — The Necropolis tourist attraction in the mountains
Along the Yangtzee river In the Chongqing region in China, lies Fengdu Ghost City in the mist covered mountains, a realm where the veil between the living and the dead grows thin. Fengdu Ghost city is more of an amusement park than a city and is steeped in centuries of myth and legend, beckons travelers from far and wide to its ghostly embrace from the lord of the underworld himself carved into Ming Mountain.
The story of Fengdu Ghost City goes back for nearly 2000 years and makes it on the list of Most Haunted Places in China, not only because of its haunting origin story, but how it can help us understand the rest of the list of haunted places. Here, the whispers of the past echo through time, as tales of restless spirits and otherworldly encounters abound. From the haunting sculptures that adorn its pathways to the shadowy corridors of its temples, every corner of Fengdu teems with spectral energy, inviting intrepid souls to uncover its secrets of how to successfully overcome the Buddhist trials in the afterlife.
Read the whole story here: Fengdu Ghost City
Chaonei No. 81 | 朝内81号 | Beijing — The horror house in the former church
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 China.
Read the whole story here: Chaonei No. 81 — Beijing Horror House
Prince Gong’s Mansion | 恭王府 | Beijing — The ghost of a grieving mother in white
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 China.
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 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 China 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
The Forbidden City | 紫禁城 | Beijing — Ghost of Concubines and curses at one of the most haunted places in China
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 China
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, perhaps is it the most haunted places in China? 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
Fengmen Village | 封門村 | Henan Province — The curse of bad feng shui coming back to haunt
Tucked away in the remote mountains of China lies the desolate Fengmen Village, a place where time seems to stand still and the whispers of the past linger in the air like restless spirits. Legends shroud this abandoned hamlet with its strange customs and tales of souls trapped within its borders, unable to find peace even in death. Could this be one of the most haunted places in China?
Some of the suspicion and eeriness to the village is their complete disregard for the Feng Shui of the buildings. According to legends, most of the houses face east-west, the complete opposite of Feng Shui, leading some people to think this is the reason why the place is so off and strange stuff is happening here.
Over the years as the Fengmen Village population dwindled and hiking became more popular, many hikers decided to make their destination this strange and remote village. Some hikers have claimed to have called out their names into the dark night as they were camped outside the now abandoned village, and to their surprise, something called their names back.
Travelers faint or feverish when they step into the village and wake up with scratches all over their body they have no idea where it came from. People that choose to travel to this far away place come back and tell of unusual noises and shouts can be heard and there is no phone reception to call for help when needing it.
Read the whole story here: Dead Fengmen Village
Qiu Mansion | 查公館 | Shanghai — The strange disappearances and ghostly animals
Once the opulent abode of the enigmatic Qiu brothers, its grandeur now lies in ruin, shrouded in the chilling whispers of its haunting past. Legends abound of the brothers’ sudden disappearance, leaving behind a mansion cloaked in darkness and despair.
At the height of their fame and notoriety, the Qiu brothers mysteriously disappeared as their paint industry started to decline in the wake of the wars raging. Their mansions started to decay and their once great gardens withered. The animals disappeared one by one, many just straight up killed to get rid off or eaten.
Rumors emerged of strange occurrences such as objects moving by themselves or shadows appearing in the abandoned mansion and eerie noises could be heard in the night. Yet, no one has been able to prove the legends.
Just across the street there is a Four Seasons Hotel facing the former Qiu Mansion. From there, many visitors as well as staff have reported hearing and seeing strange animals roaming around the abandoned site. Construction workers from the restoration have sometimes sought hospital treatment for strange bites they believe come from animals, even though no one knows where and how they got injured, making people speculate that this mansion had to be one of the most haunted places in China.
Read the whole story here: The Haunted Qiu Mansion of Shanghai
The Hello Kitty Murder Case | | Hong Kong — The ghost haunting the harrowing murder case
The gruesome discovery of a woman’s skull concealed within the innocent facade of a Hello Kitty doll sent shockwaves rippling through the community, revealing the depths of human depravity in 1999. A young woman named Ah Fong, had fallen victim to a brutal and sadistic torture session orchestrated by a group of individuals involved in the criminal underworld.
Ah Fong had been held imprisoned in the apartment, tortured in the most barbaric and vicious ways as well as raped over and over for over a month before she died. But as the perpetrators faced justice for their heinous crime, whispers began to circulate of a darker force at play.
Many unusual events have occurred that are regarded as supernatural by the public. And rumors about something paranormal and strange going on started already during trial with the light flickering when the culprits tried to defend themselves.
The building where the murder happened had strange things going on as well and has made the list of more than one list of Most Haunted Places in China. A woman rented a unit on the fourth floor without knowing about the murder. Her friend often heard women crying at night, and at that time, there were no people living downstairs. There have also been reports about seeing the ghost of a young woman wandering in the building.
In the end the building itself was torn down. No one wanted anything to do with it as it was tainted and haunted in their eyes. But even when a new building was built there, a memorial was put in place just in case it could help stop with the haunting.
Read the whole story here: The Ghost of the Hello Kitty Murder
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 China. 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 Takeout Ordering Ghost |鬼叫餐 | Hong Kong — An urban legend that is still haunting the streets
In the bustling streets of Hong Kong, whispers of a ghostly phenomenon have long haunted the city’s residents. The tale of the Takeout Ordering Ghost, a spectral entity that summons food deliveries from beyond the grave, has become a chilling legend passed down through generations. Some believe that the origins of this eerie story can be traced back to a real incident, shrouded in mystery and superstition.
The story goes that after a restaurant receives an order by phone, the delivery boy heads to a nearby condo on Leighton Road, where he encounters a hand emerging from the door gap to pay him. Upon returning to the restaurant, however, he discovers that the money has transformed into ghostly joss paper, unsettling the owner and casting suspicion on the employee.
As the eerie incidents repeat themselves, with the money consistently morphing into ghost currency, the restaurant owner grows increasingly alarmed. Determined to uncover the truth, he decides to personally deliver the next order to the condo. What he discovers inside shocks him to the core: four decomposing bodies seated around a Mahjong table, with remnants of the restaurant’s food containers nearby.
Police investigations reveal that the deceased succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning, indicating that they had been dead for some time, although the neighbors had all heard them playing and partying.
Read the whole story here: The Takeout Ordering Ghost in Hong Kong
The most haunted places in China
These are only some of the Most Haunted Places in China, but far from every haunted place or ghost story from China. For more articles about this, head over to the entire archive of ghost stories from the country for more of the most haunted places in China.
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Most Haunted Places in China – links to sources are found in the respective articles
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