Buzz
China, with its vast land and one of the oldest and most sophisticated civilizations, holds a wealth of eerie legends and unexplained occurrences. Due to the cultural and language differences between China and the West, many of these mysterious stories remain largely untold outside the country.
10. The Binzhou Alien Encounter
Despite its unique culture, the people of China share the universal human traits of seeking attention and profit. In June 2013, a man named Mr. Li from Binzhou reportedly had a run-in with an alien. Fortunately for him, the extraterrestrial being was first ensnared by his electric rabbit trap. Seizing the opportunity, Mr. Li placed the alien in a freezer with a glass top and promptly alerted the media.
9. Qi Gong
Qi Gong (also spelled Qigong) is a deeply rooted practice in China. It involves various techniques that help individuals control and harness their life energy, or 'qi.' These techniques range from breathing exercises and martial arts to philosophy, medicine... and of course, the paranormal. When practiced correctly, Qi Gong is believed to bestow extraordinary abilities, such as breaking steel bars with a single blow or projecting one's life force to empower others.
One of the most renowned ‘supernatural’ Qi Gong practitioners was Mr. Bao, a post-Mao illusionist who, despite not being a true Qi Gong master or practitioner, seemed to possess an innate talent. Bao could channel his qi in ways that defied explanation. Widely revered as a national treasure, his most famous trick involved making a coin disappear from a person's hand... only for it to reappear in their stomach. Other stories of gifted Qi Gong masters include feats such as walking through walls, enhancing the flavors of food, and making pills emerge from sealed bottles in multiple places at once.
Though it's hard to verify the authenticity of many stories about supernatural Qi Gong masters, one thing is certain: the concept of qi is deeply embedded in Chinese culture. Whether or not it’s real, it’s a belief that resonates with many. And in the end, isn’t belief what truly matters?
8. The Guizhou Incident
On November 30, 1994, witnesses in Guizhou Province, near the Duxi Forest, were stunned as a bright light, composed of several fireballs, raced across the sky, accompanied by a rumbling sound similar to that of a passing train. Though the UFO never crashed—at least no wreckage was found—it seemed to have come incredibly close to disaster, slicing through a vast stretch of trees in the forest like a massive scythe. Oddly, a few of the trees in the otherwise neatly cut area remained unharmed.
The most bizarre aspect of the event was the destruction it caused to nearby buildings. One engine house at a nearby railroad station had its entire wall ripped away. The debris, including bricks and mortar, was later found nearby, but several metal and glass components had completely vanished. Even more strangely, the building itself—along with the 50 tons of equipment inside—had been shifted nearly 20 meters (60 feet) from its original location, with some of the heavy equipment bent out of shape or even sliced in half.
The missing materials were never recovered, and the UFO was never spotted again.
7. Jiang Ziwen
Jiang Ziwen was a ruthless and haughty ruler who controlled the Moling province in ancient China. His life was cut short during a battle with a group of bandits who ambushed him. But his story didn't end there.
After Jiang Ziwen’s death, numerous locals claimed to have seen his ghost roaming the province, unwilling to relinquish the power he once held. Legend has it that the reason for his haunting was straightforward: He still yearned to rule. The ghost demanded to be worshiped as the local deity, and it seems he succeeded—research shows that the cult of Jiang Ziwen thrived in the area for hundreds of years.
Though some historians argue that Ziwen was never an 'official' deity, he seems to have had considerable influence as an unofficial one. While there is debate on whether his cult was employed by rulers to reinforce their dominance or by the common people to challenge the rulers, one thing is clear: The followers of Jiang Ziwen were a powerful force in medieval China.
6. Chengdu UFO Incident
Like the US's infamous Area 51, many countries have their own mysterious locations, and China is no different. The Chinese counterpart is known as the Chengdu Military Zone. According to legend, in 1947, an unidentified flying object crashed near the area. The story closely mirrors the famous Area 51 incident: A farmer discovered the wreckage, and initial reports about the UFO were released. However, when the military intervened, the reports were quickly retracted, and the object was dismissed as a weather balloon.
The Chengdu incident remained largely unknown until 2008 when a document supposedly outlining the crash was uncovered. While this could seem like an attempt by a local to gain attention with a forged document and fabricated story, it's worth noting that the Chengdu area has a history of strange aerial phenomena. In 2013, one of these objects reportedly collided with a commercial airliner, leaving an orb-shaped dent on the plane's nose.
5. The Spiral
You might recall the mysterious spiral formation that appeared in the skies over Norway in 2009. It was later explained as the result of a failed Russian missile experiment.
However, the Norwegian spirals are far from the only such phenomena in history, and certainly not the most bizarre. That title belongs to the Spiral UFO of 1981. Seen by over 10 million people, this massive shape traversed the Chinese night sky at a speed of about one mile (1.6 km) per second. The UFO remained visible for six or seven minutes before vanishing.
Many were—and still are—convinced that this was a genuine UFO sighting, but the U.S. Air Force was unimpressed. They suggested that the spiral was merely a tail spiral caused by an unusually clumsy spy plane... although they also admit this is only a theory and would welcome anyone with the real answer to come forward.
4. The Teleportation Rescue
In 2012, paranormal enthusiasts were captivated when a Chinese video seemed to prove that teleportation is a real phenomenon. The video, a simple black-and-white clip from a traffic camera, showed a cyclist unaware of an oncoming truck from his left, which was about to crush him. Just as the truck approached, a blur appeared and the cyclist vanished. Moments later, the cyclist was seen on the other side of the intersection, accompanied by an unknown figure who appeared to have teleported him to safety. The video concluded with the rescuer walking away calmly, leaving both the truck driver and the cyclist in disbelief.
Naturally, this video was too incredible to be true. It turned out to be part of a marketing campaign for a Chinese video game called 'Dragon Totem Girl,' where the main character possesses teleportation abilities. With realistic production techniques and skillful editing, the video looked remarkably convincing (apart from the teleportation) and managed to deceive far more people than it should have.
3. Dragon Fossils
Dragons play a significant role in Chinese mythology, even more so than in medieval European folklore. These mythical flying creatures are deeply embedded in Chinese legends, and as such, there's an ongoing quest to uncover new stories of these legendary, albeit fictional, monsters.
But what if dragons are not just fictional creatures? This question emerged in 2007 when rumors spread about a collection of actual Chinese dragon fossils. According to the reports, remarkably well-preserved fossils of dragons, resembling the traditional mythological depiction, were on display at the Xinwei Ancient Life Fossils Museum in Anshun, Guizhou.
Unfortunately, this particular story is a complete hoax. The tale resurfaces every few years on the Internet, but it never becomes any more legitimate no matter how often it’s retold. The so-called 'fossils' are actually props created for a TV production, specifically a Discovery Channel special about dragons.
It's disheartening, especially since there is no need for such fabrications. In truth, there was a time when real dragons did exist in China—about 120 million years ago. These 'dragons' were actually Guidraco venator (meaning 'ghost dragon hunter'), a carnivorous flying dinosaur. Its fossils have only been discovered in China.
Though, it’s probably safe to assume that these ancient 'dragons' didn’t have the ability to breathe fire.
2. Meng Zhaoguo
The story of Meng Zhaoguo begins as a fairly typical, yet highly questionable alien abduction narrative. In 1994, after witnessing strange lights in the sky, he awoke one night to find a female alien in his bedroom. Standing at three meters (10 ft) tall with six fingers and fur-covered legs, she appeared human in all other respects. The alien trapped Meng in a force field, and the two engaged in an encounter that lasted 40 minutes, floating above the bed where Meng’s wife lay asleep. A month later, he was taken aboard the alien spacecraft, where he learned that his alien child would be born in 60 years.
What makes Meng Zhaoguo’s story intriguing is that, prior to this incident, he had never heard of UFOs or extraterrestrials. A relatively uneducated man with a limited imagination, Meng passed a lie detector test regarding the events without issue. This, coupled with the more sensational aspects of his experience, turned his case into one of the most well-known UFO abductions in Chinese history.
However, Meng himself isn’t pleased with all the attention. He would rather lead a quiet life and hopes that people will soon uncover the truth behind the whole 'UFO' mystery so that the constant attention can stop.
1. Wu Shamans
From 1600 BC to 1027 BC, the Wu family, a lineage of shamanic rulers, governed China. These powerful leaders wielded their authority through practices like divination and sacrifices, often making key decisions while in trance, after consulting the spiritual realm. Though their reign eventually faded, their legacy is still felt today: Wu shamanism birthed the practice of Qi gong, and traces of these ancient rituals persist in modern times. Contemporary Wu shamans follow a variation of Qi gong, primarily focused on acupuncture and other forms of healing. Even in some regions of Siberia, traditional Wu practices are said to be alive, with shamans achieving transcendental states and connecting to higher spiritual forces through what is described as 'alternate realities,' often aided by herbal methods.
Interestingly, studies suggest that most Wu shamans (and by extension, many of ancient China's rulers) were likely women. Given that China's contemporary views on women are far more restrictive than those of the past, many of these influential female figures have been almost entirely erased from the official historical narrative.
