China has a tradition of trading with ghosts since ancient times. However, Confucianism kept ghosts and gods at a distance and repeatedly suppressed this common folk phenomenon, which is rarely seen in books. It is mostly circulated in the random writings of ancient people, and even other historical records are hard to find. In fact, ghost markets are still very influential among the people. The most famous ones are Liulichang in Beijing and the foot of the city wall in Xi'an. I heard from people who have been to ghost markets in the past that Liulichang in Beijing is the most ferocious, and many ghosts from the underworld disguise themselves as humans to do business during the day.
Since the ghost market is open at night, many wealthy nobles who have fallen on hard times often bring their family heirlooms to sell secretly. However, people who sell antiques are not necessarily human beings. Ghosts also like to bring things from underground to sell in the ghost market. It's just that people who don't know the difference can't tell. People who know the difference won't pursue it even if they know. After the ghost market opens at midnight, people only use flashlights (lanterns in the past) to see the items being exchanged or purchased, and never look at the other person's face. This rule is a big taboo.
Lao She has been interested in the ghost market for a while, and has looked up a lot of information, but has rarely seen any positive records of the ghost market. He can only make arbitrary inferences from some clues.
In the Biographies of Merchants, Sima Qian wrote about the Zhuo family in Shu and said:
The exiled captives had little extra money, so they competed with the officials to seek a place close to them, such as Jiameng. Only Zhuo said, "This place is narrow and narrow. I heard that there is fertile land under Wenshan Mountain, and there are squatting owls there, so you will never starve until you die. The people work in the market, and it is easy to trade." So he asked to move far away.
I think the place under Wenshan mentioned in the article is the earliest ghost market mentioned in official history. There is a squatting owl under it, which is a feature of the ghost market. Under Wenshan is the place where the ghost market is located. In the underworld, people often use the rich iron and stone underground to exchange with the people of Wenshan. The Zhuo family was able to keenly discover this point, and they got iron by warding off ghosts, and eventually became a wealthy family in Shu. The most famous thing about Lao Zhuo in history is that he has an even more famous daughter and an even more famous son-in-law.
The story of Zhuo Wenjun and Sima Xiangru has been passed down to this day, but no one knows the origin of the Zhuo family's rise. Zhuo Wenjun was a widow at the time, and this was because the Zhuo family had too close a connection with the underworld.
The "Biographies of Merchants" also mentioned that there was another wealthy person in Ba who got salt and red cinnabar through the ghost market. She was also a widow. Her surname was unknown, but her name was Qing. In the early Han Dynasty, ordinary people did not have the right to formal surnames and clans. The widow named Qing became famous more than 2,000 years later. That was because a Japanese man named Huang Yi wrote a novel "A Step into the Past". TVB made this novel into a TV series, so everyone knew about the talented woman Qin (Qin) Qing who flirted with Xiang Shaolong. In fact, Qin (Qin) Qing must not have the surname Qin, and she was not a talented woman, but a rich woman who was good at doing business with ghosts and whose husband died.
I have always been interested in how Zhuo Wenjun and Widow Qing's ex-husband died, but Sima Qian did not say so, and Huang Yi's words are more reliable. I think it is closely related to their family business.
Both Youyang Miscellaneous Works by Duan Chengshi of the Tang Dynasty and Suiyuan Poetry Talks by Yuan Mei of the Qing Dynasty mentioned the ghost market, but their descriptions were different, vague and ambiguous, or they just glossed over it in passing.
When I was looking through the relevant historical materials about Yichang, I did not find any official records of the ghost market. However, based on the collection of various materials and some characteristics of the ghost market, I can vaguely infer some fragments of the ghost market in Yichang.
I can find records that vaguely relate Yichang to the ghost market. The earliest one was in the late Ming Dynasty, when the country was in chaos and Zhang Xianzhong often went in and out of Sichuan and Hubei. At that time, the place where Yichang was located was still called Donghu County, Yiling Prefecture. Residents living in Donghu County often exchanged food with the underworld. What did they exchange? Everyone knows that it is children, and most of them are girls. Based on the written records, I can interpret those haggard classical Chinese texts and make them into dialogues that are easier for everyone to understand:
"Mangzi's father, there is nothing in the room."
"The corn-row hidden by the Mouth?"
"We were robbed by bandits the day before yesterday. Have you forgotten?"
"You are a bandit who deserves a bad death. You exchanged that pile of corn for the second girl. It was a waste of a girl."
"Mom seems to be starving to death, what should I do?"
"Whatever you want to do, call the youngest sister over, I'll take her down to the east gate wall."
"Can you think of another way? We only have this one girl."
"Are you going to exchange it for Mang Zi Ke? I'm going to continue, so stop talking nonsense."
It seems that it is better to be a dog in peacetime than a man in troubled times. These ghosts also took advantage of the situation to rob, drive up prices, and even exchange living people for things.
There are much better records in the Qing Dynasty. At this time, Yiling Prefecture had been renamed Yichang. The pickled mustard tubers from Sichuan had to be transported by water to Yichang, and then sold to the whole country from Yichang. The most common cargo at the dock in Yichang in the past was pickled mustard tubers. There were pickled mustard tuber jars everywhere by the river. The ghost market at that time was right by the river, extending from Zhenjiang Pavilion to the East Gate. At night, the residents of Yichang would take things or money to wander around the current Construction Bank, shuttling between the densely packed pickled mustard tuber jars, and exchange goods with ghosts. This was already the Kangxi and Qianlong periods, and there was no custom of exchanging girls. Residents visited the ghost market mostly to seek wealth, not to seek a way to survive.
I know that the earliest ghost market in Yichang was in the area near the river in Xiling. From the late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China and then to the 1980s, I can't find any written records about the ghost market in Yichang. These hundred years are blank. But the ghost market must not have disappeared, it's just that there is no record for various reasons.
Ghost markets, like markets in the human world, also move.
The ghost market in Yichang in the 1980s was at Railway Dam.
The ghost market is located on the road between the current China World Trade Center and Yiling Square. It is between the grass of the square and the China World Trade Center and Foreign Trade Building, connecting Yuanlin Road and Xiling.
Before the International Trade Center was built, there was a big football field on the Yiling Square side, and next to the football field was the commercial city. Of course, the commercial city appeared later. The ghost market has always been there. When did it move from the riverside? Old Snake really didn't know.
Due to various opportunities, Laoshe is familiar with several teachers who have been in the ghost market. The rumors about the ghost market after the 1980s that I mentioned were all heard from them. Don't ask about their identities. I will only reveal a little: one of them is still doing business in the antique street next to the square and has opened a storefront. There is another one who was selling phone cards when I knew him. Another one is not in Yichang now, and has gone to other places to explore the ghost market. I heard that there is a large ghost market in Yunnan. I can only provide so much information about these people. Netizens should not go to the antique street to ask. People who don't reveal their special identities can't find anything. I used to coax and deceive them, and said mysteriously what my identity was. It took me several months to get familiar with them and ask some anecdotes.
From the late 1980s to the mid-1990s, the Railway Dam Ghost Market was at its most prosperous. Coincidentally, the Commercial City was also the most popular at that time. The road to the Ghost Market was very narrow. On both sides of the road were small business owners with little capital who could not afford to rent a storefront in the Commercial City. They were all selling clothes, and they set up temporary sheds, one next to the other. There were some clothes hanging inside. The quality was worse than that of the Commercial City, but it was cheaper. The style was also good. It attracted many citizens to visit. During the day, there were stalls selling parallel-imported clothes. At night, it was the Ghost Market.
The ghost market in Yichang is not as impressive as those in the ancient capitals of several dynasties, but the business is still pretty good. In the evening, there are dozens of people wandering around the ghost market. In the early 1990s, there was a period of time when the business of food coupons in the ghost market was very good. Many people used food coupons to exchange for things.
Grain coupons in the ghost market of Yichang have always been in great demand, and there have been major incidents due to this. An accountant of the Grain Bureau was sentenced to death for corruption in the 1980s. The reason was that she embezzled five kilograms of grain coupons.
At first, she didn't know from what channel she got to know about the ghost market, so she went to exchange things. She exchanged things several times, and everything went smoothly, and she got some small benefits. It was also her fault for not being vigilant. Ghosts who could come to the world of the living to deal with people were not so easy to get along with. After exchanging things several times, she became bolder. She wanted a gold earring, which originally required at least a hundred yuan of equivalent items to exchange. The underworld merchant who did business with her asked her for 300 kilograms of gray flour to exchange. She calculated the price at that time. 300 kilograms of gray flour cost 60 or 70 yuan, which was actually a good deal. But people should not be greedy. She exchanged things several times and got a bargain. She felt that the ghosts she exchanged with were very stupid and easy to cheat. So she had a crooked idea. She thought about it and asked if she could use food coupons to exchange. The ghost also promised, and told her that she needed 100 kilograms of food coupons to exchange now, otherwise the price would increase tomorrow night. This was also a good deal. But she was not satisfied, so she said that she could only give 5 kilograms of food coupons, no more.
The ghost said, five pounds is five pounds, and she must not regret it. Otherwise, her family will be in trouble.
The accountant was very straightforward and said that he didn't have any food coupons with him at the moment and would come to exchange them tomorrow. He wrote a receipt on yellow paper, put his fingerprint on it and gave it to the ghost.
Never sign a document with a ghost, and don't make any promises. In the ghost market, you can just take whatever you come across. There is no contract to negotiate. But she forgot what others had said, and her mind was only thinking about the gold earrings.
The next day, the accountant of the grain bureau really took five kilograms of grain coupons to exchange for the earrings. But the ghost said, it's wrong, it's not that much.
The accountant said, "Didn't we clearly agree on five kilograms of food coupons? Why did you change your mind?"
The ghost took out the yellow paper and showed it to her. Five pounds? How could these five food coupons weigh five pounds?
The accountant of the Grain Bureau was stunned and went home immediately, not wanting to do business with the ghost anymore.
But something happened to her husband that night. He came home very late from a drinking party and was hit by a car. The whole night was not delayed.
She had no choice but to go to the ghost market again and negotiate with the cunning ghost merchant, promising to give the ghosts five kilograms of food coupons, but she had to wait six months.
The ghost promised again.
Unfortunately, this accountant who took the risk did not get any good results in the end. She carefully exercised her power to embezzle five kilograms of food coupons. Before she could give them to the ghost merchant, her crime was exposed and discovered by her unit. Five kilograms of food coupons were worth tens of thousands of yuan, which was a very serious case at the time. The accountant of the Grain Bureau was eventually sentenced to death.
A few years after her death, there was a long-haired female ghost in the ghost market who specialized in collecting food coupons. At that time, food coupons were about to be abolished by the state and were worthless. People who had dealt with her remembered that she always asked for a few kilograms of food coupons to exchange for things. However, people who were in the ghost market at that time knew the story of the accountant of the grain bureau and would not be fooled. They clearly stated the face value of the food coupons to be exchanged.
Collecting food stamps is very popular nowadays. I wonder if the female ghost has found a scapegoat to settle her grudges.
Don’t think that the ghost market is a place for exchanging cultural relics. This is a common misconception. Ghost markets have all kinds of goods, including books, food, clothing, etc. However, at different times, certain things will be popular.
But there are two things that are always popular in the ghost market. One is cultural relics, such as tiles, gold and silver jewelry, ancient jade, and talismans. Everyone knows this. Another thing that people who don’t know about the ghost market would never think of is medicine. Many difficult and complicated diseases are eventually cured miraculously, mostly because Chinese medicine practitioners or the patients’ family members exchanged for mysterious medicines in the ghost market.
Therefore, there are three types of people in the ghost market. One is the cultural relic dealer, the other is the traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, and of course there are the charlatans, but sometimes the charlatans are both of the first two. The discovery of oracle bones is somewhat related to the ghost market. The discovery of oracle bones was done by buying tortoise shells from a pharmacy to boil traditional Chinese medicine, and then the words on the tortoise shells were discovered. The source of the tortoise shells was the medicinal materials that traditional Chinese medicine practitioners exchanged at the ghost market in Yinxu.
Also, the ghost market is a small place. If someone who doesn't know the situation accidentally gets into the ghost market, don't be curious. The most taboo thing at this time is curious people. If you hear people bargaining, don't join in the fun. Otherwise, something evil might happen, and you won't even know how you died.
There was a period of time when several people jumped down from the escalator of China World Trade Center from the sixth floor, and fell to the ground on the first floor, with their brains all over the ground. This is all related to the ghost market. I know the reason for one of them. He accidentally broke into the ghost market and heard others bargaining for wooden combs. He couldn't help but talk too much. He said that there was nothing to bargain for such a cheap comb, it was just a matter of one or two dollars, if it were me, I would buy it, and I would not be so long-winded like you. The one selling wooden combs asked him if he wanted it, and he said he was too lazy to take it and he didn't want to buy it. The comb seller said he was nosy and told him not to join in the fun if he didn't want to buy it. He said you sell your comb, why are you looking for me, I'm not a woman, why do I need a comb. The comb seller forced him to sell it, but he refused, "I would rather die than buy your comb!"
Just this one sentence cost me my life.
The transactions in the ghost market are not limited to people, people and ghosts also trade with each other. People who don't know much about the situation will see others buying and selling and think that at least one of them is a human. This is a big mistake.
In the past, there was something in this ghost market that many people who knew about ghost markets went to buy, which was clothes. This place sells clothes during the day. There are also clothes for sale at night, but these clothes are not bought to be worn at home, but are used for rituals. For example, if someone in the family is possessed by evil spirits and has lost their soul, they will go to the ghost market to buy a piece of clothing of the right size and write the person's name on the inside of the clothing. Asking a charlatan to perform a ritual and then burning it is a good method.
Never buy a watch at the ghost market. Don't ask or buy anything related to time.
After the construction of the China World Trade Center, business was very good, and the commercial city was also moved. Although the China World Trade Center was very busy when it was in operation, if you go there at 10 o'clock in the evening, the area around the China World Trade Center is dark and there are no people at all, which is a huge contrast to the daytime.
Later, Yiling Square was built. Everyone noticed that there were no lights in the square. It is estimated that the original intention of the designer was not the current result. If you go to Yiling Square at night, you will see those short pillars with round white balls on top. At night, it looks gloomy and strange.
There are many people in Yichang who hold this view, and they all say that the lights in Yiling Square do not look comfortable.
As more and more people came to the square and the China World Trade Center, the ghost market gradually became deserted. In the first one or two years after the construction of Yiling Square, the ghost market was moved to the center of Yiling Square, which is where the fountain is now. After 11 o'clock, if you go to the location of Yiling Square, you will find that the wind here is very strange, as if it is blowing here from all directions.
At this time, there were very few people walking around the square, and the ghost market was slowly closing down.
The ghost market later moved there. There have been different opinions for several years. Some say it moved to 403, probably because a street of funeral items was formed there. Some speculate that it moved to an underground mall, which is more convincing, because the things sold in the underground mall are mostly similar to the goods in the ghost market. However, the underground mall closes before midnight, and no one goes into the ghost market, so how can they trade? Some people say it is Taozhu Road, which I think is a more reasonable location, but Taozhu Road has developed into a night market, and people eat all night long.
As for Orchard Road and Baisha Road, it is even more nonsense.
Nowadays, the ghost market in Yichang is located on the mountain road from Zhushi Street to the bridge. There are few people there, only a few families and a few factories. Those who go to the ghost market at night to buy things will take the first ferry back to Zhenjiang Pavilion at around 4 a.m. People who visit the ghost market do not walk on the bridge.
Sometimes large trucks overturn near the bridge. It is probably because the driver is tired and sees someone on the road, so he turns the steering wheel in a hurry.
Now several years have passed, I wonder if there is still a ghost market in Yichang.