WHAT: “Hungry Ghost Festival: A Chinese Day of the Dead” an RASBJ Zoom talk by James Nobles followed by Q&A

WHEN: August 26, 19:00-20:00 Beijing Standard Time.

MORE ABOUT THE EVENT: On the 15th day of the 7th lunar month, Chinese all over the world celebrate Zhongyuanjie (中元节) also known as Hungry Ghost Festival, which falls in the middle of Gui Yue (鬼月) or Ghost Month. We will look at the history and customs of this fascinating time — what to expect as well as “do’s and don’ts” — and learn about the plethora of Chinese ghosts. This month the deceased are liberated from the netherworld so they can visit the living in search of food and attention. Those who died inauspiciously are especially restless. What do recent calamities – floods, fires, and the pandemic —  portend this year when the spirits emerge from lockdown?

MORE ABOUT THE SPEAKER: James Nobles is a council member with the Royal Asiatic Society, Beijing and founder of Bizarre Beijing, a company that specializes in haunted walking tours and other macabre events in the Chinese capital. Mr. Nobles is an original founder of the Beijing Horror Film Society and specializes in research about the strange history of Beijing. He gave a previous Zoom talk in March on the Year of the Metal Rat.

HOW TO JOIN THE EVENT: To become an RASBJ member in order to attend this Zoom talk, please join RASBJ at least two days before the talk to allow time for you to receive the event notice with the advance registration link. After registering in advance, you’ll receive a confirmation email with login link and passcode; use them to log in 10 minutes before the talk.

HOW MUCH: This event is free and exclusively for members of the RASBJ and of other RAS branches. If you know someone who wants to join RASBJ, please ask them to contact MembershipRASBJ on Wechat or email [email protected]