Part 1 of 5No spoilers
Zhong Kui & Ghost-Catching Folklore in 10 Minutes
Who Zhong Kui is, why Chinese families still put his image on doors, and how he became the demon-quelling judge behind the game.
10 min readRead
Culture
Stories behind the game
Black Myth: Zhong Kui draws on centuries of Chinese ghost-catching folklore and *zhiguai* — the tradition of strange tales where the living, the dead, and the uncanny share one world. You don't need to know Tang Dynasty history or read classical Chinese stories to follow the game, but understanding Zhong Kui, the underworld, and why his image still hangs on doors today will make every encounter land differently. Start with our primer series below.
Primary traditionZhiguai And Folk Religion
The World Behind Black Myth: Zhong Kui
5 articlesPart 2 of 5No spoilers
The Underworld, Ghosts & Chinese Folk Cosmology
How Diyu, the Ten Courts, and local gods fit together in folk belief — and why Zhong Kui patrols the border between the living and the dead.
8 min readRead
Part 3 of 5No spoilers
Zhiguai: China's Tradition of Strange Tales
From Soushen Ji to Liaozhai — how centuries of short uncanny tales shape Black Myth: Zhong Kui's creative foundation.
7 min readRead
Part 4 of 5No spoilers
What We Know About Black Myth: Zhong Kui (So Far)
A living doc of confirmed facts, teaser motifs, and open questions — updated as Game Science releases new material.
6 min readRead
Part 5 of 5No spoilers
What to Read (and Watch) After You Follow the Game
Translations, opera, art, and online starting points for exploring Zhong Kui folklore without a single canonical novel.
5 min readRead
Editorial culture guides by Dragon Forge. Game names and trademarks belong to their respective owners; mythic source material is in the public domain.