Ghost talk on campuses

By Wong Yuen Kwan

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    While people emphasize scientific thinking nowadays, there are still occasions when we simply believe in the supernatural world and never bother to ask why.
     It is the mysteriousness that keeps people’s interest.
     Ghost stories at universities do have this capacity. At least, they are scary enough to chill your spine at mid-night in the orientation camps.
     Logical thinkers say that these ghost stories are just to scare people. They do not believe in them. Although people may be unable to prove them, some insist that strange things do happen in the campus.
     In spite of the debate, ghost stories continue to survive in university campuses and some of them are very popular.
     Nobody from The Chinese University does not know about the “Single-braided Path”. The story was told a long time ago about a female illegal immigrant from China who jumped off the train near the University. Her braid was trapped by the train door. Her scalp and face were torn and she died.
     From then on, some students said they saw a girl with braids at the both sides of her head wandering in the dark. The path that she usually appeared on is located at the back of the Chung Chi Canteen.
     Another story also happened in the Chung Chi campus, at the Lotus Pool. It was said that a couple arranged to flee for love from their families at 10 one night by the pool.
     However, the girl waited for a long time but the boy did not show up. She was so upset that she jumped into the pool and drowned.
     It was believed that boys passing by would be pulled into the pool if they answered “10 o’clock” when a girl asked them what time it was.


     Like The Chinese University, Hong Kong University does not lack thrilling stories. One of them is even related to a professor of the University.
     A female student was disliked by a professor and received a very low grade in her final examinations. She was so angry that she jumped from the 10-floor Knowles Building on the campus and died.
     Once the professor entered the lift which went up to the 11th floor. When the door opened, the girl appeared right in front of the professor. It was believed that the girl came back for revenge.
     It was said among the Hong Kong University students that they should not go to the main building at midnight. If somebody asked them about the time, they should never give him or her a reply or strange things would happen.
     Teresa Lui, a student from the Faculty of Education, said, “I do not believe in these ghost stories. In fact, I seldom stay on the campus late at night. There is no point to be afraid.”
     On the other hand, some students are convinced by the ghost stories. A student from Baptist University who refused to reveal her identity has the following point of view. “I really believe in them although I am not sure whether they are true. As long as they are thrilling, I think the creditability is quite high,” she said.
     At Baptist University, there is a story which involved a popular local band, Beyond.
     Beyond performed for a few times at the Academic Community Hall. After some time a band competition was held in the hall and many students participated. One of them got very nervous backstage. Suddenly, a hand patted his shoulder and a voice said, “Don’t be afraid. Just perform your best.”
     When the student turned around, the man quickly disappeared. He tried very hard to recall who it was. Finally, he recognized that the man was Wong Ka Kui, a member of Beyond who had just passed away about that time.
     A strange thing also happened in the University of Science and Technology during the Orientation Camp.
     One student was missing after the game “Treasure Hunt”. He was nowhere to be found even after the whole campus was searched.
     One night when a security guard was on duty a boy appeared in the corridor and asked for directions. The security guard did not find him suspicious and showed him the way. Afterwards when he talked to his colleagues, he found that the boy he just met was the one missing from the orientation camp!
     A Year 1 student from the University of Science and Technology said that he did not totally believe in the story.
     “After all, as long as I have not seen it myself, I cannot say that it is true. However, when the story became so popular and so many people have talked about it, it must be at least partly true.”
     If self-experience is the crucial factor in determining the credibility of a ghost story, the following one may seem true to some people.
     A few years ago, a Chinese University student committed suicide in Room 111 of Grace Tien Hall out of the pressure of study and a broken relationship with a girlfriend.
     He used an electric wire to coil around his body with the end attached to an alarm clock. When the alarm clock rang, he died immediately of electric shock.
     After his death, a note was found on his desk, with the words “I will come back!” It was said that his roommate had taken his girlfriend and so he planned to come back and take revenge.
     A guard named “Uncle Kao” working in Grace Tien Hall recalled the event calmly. “I worked here when it happened,” he said. “His roommate told me about it. I was the one who called the ambulance and picked up his body.”
     According to Uncle Kao, he was not frightened by this event.
     Said he: “I have been working here for more than 10 years. I have never heard of any ghost stories on campus. Although I actually experienced an accident to happen, it is not scary to me.”
     Now, Room 111 is occupied as usual. At first students refused to live in that room. However, they had to acquiesce due to the inadequate supply of hostel rooms. According to other hostel guards, everything ran smoothly in the hall.
     Some school-bus drivers at the Chinese University are not familiar with the ghost stories. One school-bus driver, said, “I normally work the day-time shift and I do not experience anything strange. Neither have I heard of any unusual experiences from other drivers.”
     While people are concerned with the credibility of ghost stories, anthropologists see them from a different view.
     Dr. Joseph Bosco, an associate professor of the Anthropology Department at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, is interested in the cultural influences behind these ghost stories.
     “It is very obvious that the characteristics of ghost stories vary in culture,” said Dr. Bosco.
     “Western ghost stories typically involve moving furniture and threatening faces. Chinese do not find this scary. Being a Westerner, I sometimes find Chinese ghost stories hard to understand and do not find them thrilling.”
     According to Dr. Bosco, ghost stories are part of university campus culture.
     “Many ghost stories reflect the intense pressure faced by university students. They have difficulty in handling love affairs and study. Telling ghost stories can also create a deterrent effect which teach people a lesson.”
     Dr. Bosco also said ghost stories appearing in universities may promote a strong sense of orientation.
     He said, “Students are more involved in university life and they are more aware of what is happening in the campus. Ghost stories are then widely spread. Especially during the Orientation Camp, ghost story telling has already become a major program.”
     From the Christian perspective, there is another explanation for ghost stories. Father Sergio Ticozzi, who works in a local church, said, “We believe that if it is a soul of the death, we should remember them and pray for them. When it comes to evil angels, we have to be very aware because they tempt us to evil.”
     Father Sergio said Chinese are not particularly superstitious.
     “No matter if he is a Chinese or a Westerner, if he lacks human maturity and religious faith, he will easily do things out of fear without any objective motivation,” said Father Sergio.