uman habitations are alike
haunted by psychic beings whose condition cannot be exactly expressed by
the word _spirit_, neither form of Chinese belief admitting of the
conception of a pure spirit without matter.

These beings may be grouped into three classes. _Gwei_ is the term most
constantly used by the common people to indicate the being whose
influence is feared by all, and who receives from every family some
measure of propitiatory sacrifice. We read in the _li chao chuan_,[6] or
_Divine Panorama_, that "every living being, no matter whether it be a
man or an animal, a bird or a quadruped, a gnat or a midge, a worm or an
insect, having legs or not, few or many, all are called _gwei_ after
death."

Apart from these are the _shen_, which have been defined as _emanations
de la nature personnifiees_, not, as the _gwei_, spirits of the dead,
but an emanation of nature clothed with a personality. They possess
varying degrees of intelligence and power. Their interest is not only in
the affairs of men, to the knowledge of which they have access, but also
in the secret springs of human action. They reside in man as well as
amongst men, and witness to his good or evil works before the tribunal
of heaven. The classics of Chinese literature, recognising this, urge
upon readers the duty of decorum, purity, and care even when unseen by
human eyes and according to the teachings of Confucius; one of the
characteristics of the Princely Man is the discipline he will exercise
upon himself when alone.

Other spiritual beings are those who, by their ascetic practices, have
attained to a life higher than that of humanity; it will endure through
many centuries, and they are free to live in the pleasant places of the
earth with considerable licence to enjoy good things, yet free from the
material claims which govern human life. These are known by the term
_hsien_, and are referred to above as fairies. Each and all of these
beings touch the destinies of man at various points.

It is, however, in the important events of life--birth, marriage, and
death--that the interference of the spirits is strongest, and such
occasions are used by the sorcerer as a means of extorting money from
his unfortunate victim. In the _Divine Panorama_, we read that: "It is
not uncommon at the time of reincarnation to see women asking to be
allowed to avenge themselves in the form of _gwei_ before being changed
into men. On their case being examined, it is fou