“Guang” the first character in Guangzhou. Look closely at the calligraphy outside Liwan Plaza. Doesn’t it resemble the Chinese word for corpse? This is no coincidence for many Cantonese. Welcome to Liwan Plaza.
Liwan Plaza has a dark reputation. It is known as Guangzhou’s Suicide Shopping Plaza. Since 2004, about a dozen suicides have occurred here. Some witnesses claim a supernatural force pushed victims over the railings.
Locals say the mall’s curse began during construction. It’s like the movie Poltergeist. Never build on ancient burial grounds. Real estate developers may not have known that.
This site was once home to a Qing Dynasty sacrificial chamber. Inspectors failed to notice eight empty coffins when building Liwan Plaza. The coffins were unearthed during construction. Some say they caused strange noises and mysterious deaths. Storefronts remained empty.
To fight the evil, architects designed the building like an octagon. It is similar to the bagua symbol. A Taoist priest told landlords the empty coffins were buried to stop evil influences. They were not to be disturbed for a thousand years. Oops.
Since then, several accidents have been reported. Many happened on the fifth floor. At least two landlords who managed the plaza died suddenly. The causes were unknown. This is according to some online bloggers.
Despite Guangzhou’s warm climate, Chinese netizens say Liwan Plaza is always cooler. Walking through at night brings a chilling feeling of despair.
No concrete evidence proves the plaza is haunted. Skeptics say the suicides are due to Liwan Plaza’s bad reputation. Insensitive media coverage may also play a role. These factors may encourage more suicides.
Today, mostly non-local business owners occupy the building. They are happy to make a quick profit. The silent spirits run amok.
One sunny afternoon, a man visited his uncle’s shop in Liwan Plaza. The shop was on the fifth floor. This is where many mysterious incidents occurred. His uncle always hung an eight trigram above the door. This Taoist symbol wards off evil. But the nail holding it was loose. The uncle took it down to fix it.
As he removed the trigram, a chill filled the air. The uncle seemed in a trance. His eyes glazed over. He walked toward the higher floors without a word. An invisible force seemed to pull him.
The man followed quickly. His uncle was near the rooftop edge looking down. The man grabbed him pulling him back just in time.
The man’s young cousin appeared. He put the eight trigram back above the door. The uncle snapped out of his trance. He was bewildered and shaken.
Removing the eight trigram had disturbed restless spirits. From that day on, the uncle never touched the protective symbol again. He respected the veil between the living and the supernatural. So next time you’re in Liwan Plaza, be aware of more than just bargains. You might just feel something else.