The Last Bus to Fragrant Hills: A True Story of Horror
Have you ever heard of the legend of the ghost bus in Beijing? It is one of the most famous and terrifying urban myths in China, and it is based on a real incident that happened in 1995. In this blog post, I will tell you the story of the last bus to Fragrant Hills, and how it became a nightmare for its passengers.
Photo by Moe from pexels
The story begins on November 14, 1995, a cold and windy night in Beijing. Bus 375 was the last bus of the night that departed from Yuan-Ming-Yuan (the Old Summer Palace) to Xiang-shan (Fragrant Hills), a scenic park on the western outskirts of the city. The bus driver and the female conductor were the only ones on board until they reached the South Gate of Yi-He-Yuan (the Summer Palace), where four passengers got on: an old lady, a young couple, and a young man.
The bus continued its journey through the dark and deserted streets until it reached a spot near Wan-Shou-Si (the Temple of Longevity), where two men were waving at the bus from the roadside. The driver hesitated to stop since they were not at a designated bus stop, but the conductor persuaded him to let them on since it was the last bus of the night. When the doors opened, three men entered the bus. They were wearing ancient robes from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), and their faces were pale as ghosts. The third man was supported by the other two, and his head was hanging down, hiding his face.
Photo by Iseo Yang
The other passengers on the bus were shocked and scared by the sight of these strange men, but the conductor tried to calm them down by saying that they might be actors who had just finished filming a historical drama nearby and had no time to change their costumes. The old lady, however, was not convinced. She kept looking back at the three men, who sat at the rear of the bus, without making any sound or movement.
As the bus approached its destination, the young couple got off at their stop. The driver and the conductor resumed their casual conversation, while the old lady suddenly accused the young man sitting next to her of stealing her wallet. The young man denied it, and they started arguing loudly. The old lady demanded that they get off at the next stop and go to the police station. The young man reluctantly agreed, thinking that he could prove his innocence there.
Photo by Lunamarina
They got off the bus, leaving only the driver, the conductor, and the three mysterious men on board. The young man was angry at the old lady for making him miss his last bus home, and he asked her where the police station was. The old lady pointed at a dark alley nearby and said that they had to walk there. The young man was suspicious and asked her why she had accused him of stealing her wallet. The old lady looked at him with a serious expression, and said: "The wind coming in from the window raised their robes, and I saw they didn't have feet!"
The young man was stunned by her words. He realized that she had saved him from staying on the bus with those ghostly men. He thanked her profusely and asked her what they should do next. The old lady said that they had to find a place to hide until dawn because those men might come after them. They ran into the alley, hoping to escape from their pursuers.
Meanwhile, on Bus 375, something terrible happened. The next morning, the police found the bus abandoned on a hillside near Fragrant Hills Park. Inside were three corpses: the driver, the conductor, and one of the men in Qing robes. They had been brutally murdered by an unknown assailant. The other two men in Qing robes were nowhere to be found.
The police investigated the case, but they could not find any clues or witnesses. They checked the surveillance cameras along the route of Bus 375, but they only saw four passengers getting on and off: an old lady, a young couple, and a young man. There was no trace of any men in Qing robes.
The case remained unsolved for years until a journalist named Wang Yu decided to dig deeper into it. He interviewed some of the people who were involved in or knew about Bus 375: former drivers, conductors, passengers, and even relatives of the victims. He also researched some historical records and folklore about Fragrant Hills Park.
He discovered that there was a legend about a ghost bus that haunted the area and that it was related to a tragic event that happened in 1900, during the Boxer Rebellion. According to the legend, a group of foreign soldiers and missionaries were fleeing from the siege of Beijing, and they boarded a bus that was heading to Fragrant Hills Park, where they hoped to find refuge. However, they were ambushed by a band of Boxers, who killed them all and burned the bus. Their spirits remained trapped in the bus, and they would occasionally appear on the road, looking for revenge.
Wang Yu also found out that the three men in Qing robes who boarded Bus 375 in 1995 were actually actors who had been hired to play the roles of Boxers in a TV series about the Boxer Rebellion. They had finished shooting a scene near Wan-Shou-Si, and they were on their way back to their hotel. They had no idea that they had entered the ghost bus, and that they had become its victims.
Wang Yu published his findings in a magazine article, titled "The Last Bus to Fragrant Hills: A True Story of Horror". The article caused a sensation among the public, and many people became interested in the legend of the ghost bus. Some even claimed that they had seen it on the road, or that they had heard its engine roaring in the night.
The legend of the ghost bus still lives on today, and it is one of the most popular urban myths in China. Many people avoid taking Bus 375 at night, especially during Ghost Month, when the spirits are said to be more active. Some people also visit Fragrant Hills Park to pay their respects to the victims of Bus 375, and to pray for their souls.
If you ever find yourself in Beijing, and you want to experience a thrill, you can try taking Bus 375 to Fragrant Hills Park at midnight. But be careful: you might encounter some unexpected passengers on board. And if you do, don't look at their feet.
Reference :
"The Story of Beijing's Legendary Ghost Bus", That's Beijing, April 12, 2016.
"Bizarre Beijing: The Last Bus to Fragrant Hills", The Beijinger, September 4, 2020.
Wang Yu, "The Last Bus to Fragrant Hills: A True Story of Horror", Global Times, July 29, 2013.
"Boxer Rebellion", Encyclopaedia Britannica.
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