Mysteries of Northeast China’s Spirit Media Shamanism

The Chuma Xian system is a traditional folk belief in Northern China involving a hierarchy of animal immortals, specifically foxes, weasels, snakes, and hedgehogs, who seek to cultivate spiritual power. These spirits bridge the gap between the animal and divine realms by possessing human mediums to perform services such as fortune-telling, healing, and divination in exchange for merit. While these practitioners operate through organized units called tang-kou, modern factors like environmental degradation and an influx of unqualified individuals have led to a perceived decline in the authenticity of current spiritual media.