"Mistaking Rescuers for Spirits... Elderly in China Endure 35 Hours Stranded in the Mountains"

Superstition That One Should Never Respond to Voices in the Mountains
SCMP: "Similar Folk Tales Abound in China"

Two elderly people who were gathering medicinal herbs in the mountains of China became lost and stranded, but were finally rescued after 35 hours of isolation. It was later revealed that they had mistaken the voices of rescuers calling out to them for spirits and had tried to avoid them.

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on August 10 (local time), a 73-year-old man and a 58-year-old woman went missing while collecting herbs in a mountain area in Huairou District, Beijing on July 29.

The two regularly collected herbs but, on this day, ventured deeper into the mountains in search of medicinal plants and lost their way. Both individuals reportedly had impaired hearing, and there was no mobile phone signal in the remote mountainous area.

Elderly People Rescued After 35 Hours of Isolation. Photo captured by SCMP

Once local rescue authorities received the report of the missing elderly individuals, they immediately initiated a search. The mountain paths were rough, slippery, and dark, making the search dangerous, but after 17 hours, the rescue team was able to determine their location. However, when they finally rescued the elderly pair, the team discovered a surprising fact: although the elderly people had heard the rescuers’ voices, they deliberately ignored them and tried to avoid answering.

The reason stemmed from a long-standing local folk belief in the area. The elderly people strongly believed the superstition that one should never respond quickly if someone calls one's name in the mountains. According to local folklore, unfamiliar voices in the mountains may be uttered by ghosts or mountain spirits trying to lure people astray.

There are also stories that those who are lost may be drawn deeper into the mountains if they follow such voices. The media outlet reported that, in Chinese folktales, mountain beings are said to mimic the voices of familiar people to entice the lost further astray.

In the end, the duo was rescued unharmed after 35 hours of isolation. They were said to be extremely exhausted from prolonged deprivation of food and water, but reportedly suffered no serious harm. Local fire authorities repeatedly urged people to take extra precautions when entering mountains and to avoid elderly individuals going in alone. They also emphasized that, in emergency situations, people should call out loudly for help and follow the rescuers’ instructions actively.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.