1768年，清朝一场“叫魂”大恐慌，全国都在抓剪辫子的人

In the summer of 1768, the 33rd year of the Qianlong reign, a rumor spread throughout Jiangnan: there were demons stealing people's souls.

It was said to have started in Deqing County, Zhejiang, where they were repairing a bridge. Some claimed that the stonemasons, to make the bridge sturdy, would use witchcraft to write a living person's name on a paper effigy, drive in a stake, and call the soul into it. Those who had their souls stolen would fall ill and die. Even more terrifying, some said that to steal a soul, the demon only needed a person's hair, a corner of their clothing, or the tip of their braid.

Soon, people everywhere claimed to have seen it: some said a stranger touched their braid on the road, and they fell ill that very night; others said the tip of their braid had been snipped off, and they felt unwell ever after. Everyone was terrified, afraid to go out at night. Some hung talismans on their doors; others put protective charms on their children.

At this point, an official reported to the Qianlong Emperor. The emperor was highly sensitive at the time: cutting braids—wasn't that a challenge to the Manchus? After the Qing entered the pass, they forced Han Chinese to shave their foreheads and wear braids; the braid was a symbol of submission. Cutting braids—could it be a rebellion? The emperor ordered a nationwide investigation.

Countless innocent people were arrested: monks, beggars, outsiders, itinerant Taoist priests. Officials tortured them and extracted confessions; some were beaten to death, others killed. Local officials had their difficulties too: if they didn't arrest anyone, they feared being suspected of covering it up; if they did arrest people but found no real evidence, they had to use others as scapegoats.

But in the end, nothing was found. Several months later, the emperor admitted there was no evidence and ordered the blame shifted to incompetent officials, some of whom lost their posts. Only then did the matter die down.

The American scholar Philip A. Kuhn wrote a book specifically about this, called Soulstealers: The Story of a Chinese Witchcraft Scare. He said that what this incident ultimately brings to mind is not witchcraft, but a vast empire, spun in circles by a single rumor.

#Paranormal #网络转载 #清代