Many different cultures from China and Southeast Asia honor the dead on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month during the Hungry Ghost Festival, also known as Zhongyuan in Daoism and Yulanpen or Ullambana in Mahayana Buddhism. In this episode, we’ll trace the origins of ancestor worship to ancient Shang Dynasty Oracle Bones, or “Dragon Bones,” which were used to inscribe petitions to ancestral spirits and hold the earliest evidence of Chinese writing. Then we’ll explore how regional variations of those ancient beliefs blended with the Buddhist Ulambana Sutra (or Mulian Rescues His Mother from Hell), Daoist visions of the afterlife, and Confucian teachings on filial responsibility. Over time, these influences eventually gave rise to the Hungry Ghost Festival which has continued to evolve into modern celebrations that weave together ancient traditions and modern lifestyles to honor both personal ancestors and members of the community lost in historical tragedies.

Transcripts

For transcripts of this episode head over to: https://archpodnet.com/tpm/21

Links

• See photos related to episode topics on Instagram
• Loving the macabre lore? Treat your host to a coffee!
• Learn More About Chinese History with the China History Podcast
• Los Angeles Hungry Ghost Festival 2025
• Video: Taiwan’s “Ghost Grappling”
• Video: Mulian Saves His Mother Performance at Kiew Lee Tong Temple in Singapore

Academic Sources

• Campany, Robert F. 1991. Ghosts Matter: The Culture of Ghosts in Six Dynasties Zhiguai. Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews (CLEAR) 13:15.
• Chan, Selina Ching. 2023. Unequal Inscriptions of the Hungry Ghosts (Yulan) Festival Celebrations as Intangible Cultural Heritage in Hong Kong. China Perspectives(132):49–59.
• Deutsch, Lauren W. Chinese Joss Paper Offerings.
• Liu, Jingyu. 2020. The Unimpeded Passage: The Making of Universal Salvation Rites and Buddho-Daoist Interactions in Medieval China.
• Shirin, Shakinah. 2021. Past and Present Rituals of Hungry Ghost Festival. Intercultural Communication.
• Zhao, Yin. Indian Cultural Elements on the Ullambana Festival.

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