Editing Chinese mythology (section)

===Afterlife and family===
{{Further|Hun and po|Ghosts in Chinese culture}}
Much Chinese mythology concerns the afterlife, explaining what happens to people after they die. This is related to [[ancestor veneration]], the mythological geography of heaven and hell, the rituals at family tombs, and so on.

====Immortals (''xiān'')====
{{Further|Chinese alchemical elixir poisoning|Neidan|Waidan|Taoist sexual practices|Bigu (grain avoidance)|Qigong}}
Sometimes, in mythology, certain humans develop the ability to live indefinitely, avoiding death, and becoming divine ''[[Xian (Taoism)|xiān]]''. Such humans generally also are said to develop special powers. Generally, these abilities are said to develop through such practices of [[Chinese alchemy]], obtaining an [[Elixir of life]],<ref name="ASOCA">Obed Simon Johnson, A Study of Chinese Alchemy, page Shanghai, Commercial, 1928. rpt. New York: Arno P, 1974.</ref> and/or various austerities of diet or sexuality. Symbolic associations with immortality include a spotted deer, cranes, the [[Lingzhi mushroom]], and a gourd and bat. often Immortals are mythologically located in Mountain Paradises, such as Kunlun. Various common English translations of ''xiān'' exist, such as Immortal, Fairy, and Sage. An example of a Daoist immortal is [[Wong Tai Sin]], who began as a fourth century CE hermit and developed into a divine healer.

=====Magu=====
[[File:Dish with Magu, deity of longevity, China, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, Qing dynasty, approx. 1700-1800 AD, porcelain with overglaze polychrome - Asian Art Museum of San Francisco - DSC01663.JPG|thumb|Dish with Magu, deity of longevity, China, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, Qing dynasty, approx. 1700–1800 AD, porcelain with overglaze polychrome]]
{{Main|Magu (deity)}}

Magu is a legendary [[Taoist]] [[Xian (Taoism)|''xian'']] (transcendent"), still currently worshiped. Magu is associated with the [[elixir of life]], and is a symbolic protector of females in Chinese mythology. Stories in [[Chinese literature]] describe Magu as a beautiful young woman with long birdlike fingernails, while early myths associate her with caves. Magu's name literally compounds two common [[Chinese language|Chinese]] words: ''ma'' "cannabis; hemp" and ''gu'' "aunt; maid".

====Ghosts or spirits of the deceased====
{{Further|Hun and po|Ghosts in Chinese culture|Ghost Festival}}

Common beliefs and stories in Chinese mythology involve a soul or spirit that survives after the death of someone's body. There are many types.

====Living dead====
[[Jiangshi]] are a type of re-animated corpse.

=====Zhong Kui=====
{{Main|Zhong Kui}}

In the mythological folklore, [[Zhong Kui]] is regarded as a vanquisher of ghosts and evil beings. He committed suicide upon being unfairly stripped of his title of "''[[Zhuangyuan]]''" (top-scorer) of the [[Imperial examinations in Chinese mythology|Imperial Examinations]] by the emperor, due to his disfigured and ugly appearance. His spirit was condemned to [[Diyu|Hell]] because suicide was considered a grave sin, but [[Yama (Buddhism and Chinese mythology)|Yama]] (the Chinese Hell King) judged him worthy of the title "King of Ghosts" in Diyu (Hell). Yama tasked him to hunt, capture, take charge of, and maintain discipline and order of all ghosts. On [[Chinese New Year]]'s eve, Zhong Kui returned to his hometown to repay the kindness of his friend Du Ping ({{lang|zh|杜平}}).

====Holidays and festival rituals====
{{Further|Traditional Chinese holidays}}

Abundant mythology is associated with religious holidays and folk festivals.

=====Qingming Festival=====
{{Further|Qingming Festival|Cold Food Festival}}

The Qingming festival is a good example of a Chinese holiday that involves family activities associated with a seasonally-recurring annual event; and, also, ancestor veneration.

=====Qixi Festival=====
{{Main|Qixi Festival}}

The seasonally-recurring annual holiday of [[Qixi]] involves love and romance. A main mythological tale is "[[The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl]]".