ZOMBIES - Meeting With Alan 5

This week, Alan and I met in the library once again.  At first, we were unsure of what to talk about.  We got through the usual small talk, asking how each other’s weeks were going.  Then there was an awkward pause.  Alan then told me that he’s doing a presentation over Chinese zombies for Toastmasters, and asked if I would like to hear about it.  It sounded fun and interesting, so I agreed that we could talk about it.

First, he gave me a physical description of Chinese zombies.  They tend to have skin that has a green or blue color to it, and are somewhat decayed but not gory.  They move around by hopping, but some can jump so high that they’re practically flying.  Their arms are stiff and stuck in an outstretched position.  They are blind and rely on their senses of hearing and smell to find prey.

Alan told me that there are three types, or stages, of zombie.  He referred to them by the color of their “fur,” but after a little explaining I realized that the word that he was looking for was “mold.”  The first type has white mold, and is pretty harmless.  It’s alive, but still in its coffin and not really causing any harm.  The next type has green mold.  These zombies still aren’t a threat to humans.  They eat small animals instead.  The final, most dangerous stage of zombification is the black mold zombies.  These are the zombies that can fly and prey on people.

Chinese zombies are difficult to kill.  Alan showed me a picture of a wooden sword, and told me that only peach wood through the heart would kill a zombie.  I thought this was interesting, because it reminded me of how a wooden stake through the heart is one of the traditional vampire-killing methods that I’m used to hearing about.

He said that part of his presentation was about American zombies and vampires.  He included vampires because Chinese zombies share some traits with them.  He was surprised that I wasn’t interested in Twilight or True Blood.  He thought that all the girls here loved them, or at least loved some sort of vampire…romance…stuff.  I told him it’s just not exactly my preferred genre.  I also found out that he watches The Walking Dead.

All in all, it was a fun and interesting talk.  I learned a lot that I hadn’t known about Chinese monster stories, and it was neat getting to see the similarities and differences between the Chinese zombie tales and the zombies that I’m used to seeing in popular culture.  It was also fun because it was a topic that we both had something to add to, and that we were both genuinely interested in.