The Legendary Tale of the Corpse Conveyors. The Corpse Conveyors of Western Hunan: These are the folk practitioners of corpse conveyance in Western Hunan. To enter this profession, two prerequisites must be met: First, one must possess great courage; Second, one must be in robust health. If one could also fulfill a highly unusual condition, it would be even better- that is, to be rather ugly in appearance. Before each journey, the "Master" must perform rituals-setting up an altar, lighting incense, burning paper offerings-to "process" the corpse before setting out. With each shake of the bell, the procession moves forward one slow step. They travel along deserted wilderness paths, stopping at small inns catering specifically to corpse-masters for rest and refreshment as dawn approaches. Without exception, these inns featured inward-swinging doors-heavy, black-lacquered wooden gates. Behind these doors lay the resting place for the corpses. The local taboo against children standing behind such doors in Western Hunan stems directly from this practice. The reason corpse-driving flourished in Western Hunan: Corpse-driving was practiced exclusively in two regions of Hunan. There are three reasons: First, only Western Hunan has "corpse-carrying inns"; second, only Western Hunan locals recognize the small Yin gong (a type of gong) used by corpse-carriers, knowing to avoid the area immediately and locking up their dogs-otherwise, dogs sensing the corpse's scent would rush to tear it apart; third, only Western Hunan villages have roads outside their boundaries, while elsewhere roads typically run through villages, making it inappropriate for corpses to enter the village.
