Kyonshi - the Chinese hopping vampire ! Long ago in China, when the man of the family had to go out and over the mountains to get work, sometimes they would never be able to come back. When the man died, his body would have to be properly honoured; taken back to his hometown for proper burial. However, it was difficult to transport corpses over mountains the conventional method. Instead, a Taoist monk would attach a scroll to the corpses head with a spell on to animate the remains. The kyonshi comes alive and hops after the priest when he rings a bell. Thus, the priest would go around summoning the kyonshi to take them home. Once the kyonshi is taken to its hometown, the family must protect it for many days - partly to pay respect, and also to prevent the scroll from being removed. This would cause the kyonshi to turn bad, which would then go around trying to bite people, converting them to kyonshi as well. If a small animal were to cross the kyonshi, its spirit would become drawn into, and possess the kyonshi making it dangerous too. The bite of the kyonshi can be counteracted by the application of raw rice or the blood of a black dog. Reattaching the scroll will also return the kyonshi to its passive state. Might I add that in China, this is historical lore, and not myth.