Hell of a crowd clamor for scary sights

Bounding vampires from China and a scary collection of other ghosts and demons from around Asia have enticed hordes of people to an exhibition in southern Taiwan.

Ticket sales were suspended twice on opening day to avoid overcrowding inside Tainan Art Museum where traditional artefacts, artworks and pop culture about the afterlife in Asian cultures are arrayed.

The main attractions are three lifesize depictions of Chinese vampires - reanimated corpses whose stiffened limbs mean they move by bouncing along - with visitors lining up to imitate their grasping, outstretched hands.

Museum director Lin Yu-chun says the Covid pandemic has stoked discussions of mortality in Taiwanese society. She also explains: "Asian ghosts tend to be more feminine," whereas "Western ghosts tend to be stern-looking like the vampire."

The museum is also giving out 1,000 charms to ward off bad luck.

But Zora Sung, 25, a hospital lab technician from Taipei, observed: "Hell is a part of our culture we need to try to understand."