In the spring of 1768, rumors spread through Zhejiang and Jiangsu that sorcerers were cutting off people's queues to "steal souls." The panic spread nationwide. Emperor Qianlong ordered a nationwide purge, arresting thousands and creating a large-scale literary inquisition-style injustice. The Qing palace archives fully record the case, and Philip Kuhn wrote the academic classic Soulstealers based on them.
Account
In the spring of 1768, rumors spread through Zhejiang and Jiangsu that sorcerers were cutting off people's queues to "steal souls." The panic spread nationwide. Emperor Qianlong ordered a nationwide purge, arresting thousands and creating a large-scale literary inquisition-style injustice. The Qing palace archives fully record the case, and Philip Kuhn wrote the academic classic Soulstealers based on them.
Sources
- Qing Grand Council soul-stealing case archives (First Historical Archives of China)
- Philip Kuhn, Soulstealers (1990)