Linyu Zhong

In Chinese folklore, the corpse-herding rituals of Xiangxi gave birth to the myth of the jiangshi, or hopping vampire. In 1985, Mr. Vampire brought the jiangshi to the big screen, making it a cultural icon. Over thirty years later, as the genre fades into memory, The Last Jiangshi (original title: China’s Last Vampire) finds the only known jiangshi still existing in the modern world—Old Li.

In the last summer before embarking on her journey to study abroad, eighteen-year-old Chen Xi returns to her hometown to bid farewell to the familiar fishing village that holds so many memories. Standing before the vast ocean, Chen Xi finds herself caught in a whirlwind of emotions. The sea, a symbol of freedom, also feels like an invisible cage. Everything she once cherished now seems as insignificant as grains of sand in the face of her growing maturity.