Tradition / Region: Chinese Mythology
Alternative names: Shuǐmǎng Guǐ (水莽鬼)
Category: Ghost
The Myth
The Water Mang Ghost is the spirit of a person who died after accidentally eating the deadly Water Mang Grass, a poisonous vine resembling kudzu with purple flowers similar to those of a hyacinth bean. It appears as the ghost of its former human self, forever trapped between life and death, unable to pass on to the next world.
According to Chinese folklore, anyone who unknowingly consumes the Water Mang Grass dies almost instantly and becomes a Water Mang Ghost. Unlike ordinary spirits, these ghosts are denied reincarnation. To escape their fate, they must find another victim to die from the same poisonous plant and take their place in the cycle of suffering.
Because of this belief, the region around the Taohua River in Hunan Province was said to be haunted by unusually large numbers of Water Mang Ghosts. They were believed to lure or deceive travelers into eating the deadly vine, hoping to finally free themselves from their endless imprisonment.
The most famous account appears in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (Liaozhai Zhiyi), where the legend describes both the poisonous plant itself and the tragic fate awaiting those who die from it. The tale portrays the Water Mang Ghost not as a creature driven by malice alone, but as a desperate soul seeking release from a curse that can end only when another suffers the same death.
Thus the Water Mang Ghost is remembered as one of China’s most tragic supernatural beings—a victim transformed into a ghost by poisonous vegetation, condemned to wander the world until another unknowingly takes its place.
Sources
Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). 水莽鬼. In 維基百科，自由的百科全書. Retrieved June 27, 2026, from https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B0%B4%E8%8E%BD%E9%AC%BC