Mutianyu Phantom

The Mutianyu Phantom is a mythical spiritual entity said to haunt the area of Mu Tian Yu （慕田峪）on the Great Wall of China. Rumour came about of the Phantom following the disappearance of a German tourist in 1997. According to local folk legend the Phantom was once a local woman who worked in the area.

Origin of the Story

According to local folk lore, the phantom was once a woman who lived in the tourist area, making glass statues for tourists. Following the bizarre survival of the woman in a nitrogen glass explosion in the school house in the neighboring district, the woman lost her sanity and walked into the woods and vanished. Tourists are sometimes warned by the local residents to be wary of her when visiting the wall.

First Victim

The first victim allegedly was visiting the wall in 1997, her family with her later told Beijing police that the woman had claimed to have seen a woman in black on the wall with white gloves point at her a few hours before her disappearance. To this day, the woman has never been found.

Second Victim

The Mutianyu Phantom's second victim was Benjamin Hefemburg, another tourist visiting the area. Police reports state that his family alleged that he claimed to have also seen a woman in black point at him from a tower on the Mu Tian Yu part of the Wall. Benjamin was found the next morning in his hotel room, killed by unnatural circumstances, there were numerous shards of glass from an unknown source found around his room.

Other Victims

Since these two initial victims, several more killings around the area have been attributed to the Mutianyu Phantom

Appearance

According to the local residents, the woman appears in a black cloak covering her face. Her hands are covered with white bandage like gloves. Before each victims death, the woman points at him, revealing her horribly disfigured face, anyone that has ever confirmed seeing this however, has died within 48 hours. Locals seem not to be frightened themselves of the Phantom as she only has ever in the past targeted foreign tourists. Despite this however, when asked, locals will usually warn foreigners of their possible impending deaths and that they should do what they can to ward off the spirit. Some method's used include the carrying of dried Chinese herbal tea leaves and wearing red. ^[1]

References

1. ^ The Beijing City Weekly Nov Issue 2001