This Amazing Chinese Mansion Is Abandoned Because It's Haunted!

This expansive stone mansion—known Chaonei No. 81—is an architectural anomaly in Beijing. Once a church, then a home, today the building stands out for its ornate Baroque style, yet it lies in decay. Why? Because it's probably haunted, and no one wants to go near it.

The New York Times has the scary story of a place cloaked in legend and deep disrepair. Built around 1900 as a gift to British colonists, by the end of the civil war in 1949 the manse was home to a high-ranking nationalist official. As the communists were marching through the city to declare victory, he fled to Taiwan leaving behind his wife (or maybe concubine), who, in despair, hung herself from the rafters of the opulent mansion.

Chaonei No. 81 has been riddled by rumors of paranormal activity ever since, and with the exception of local daredevils who have snuck in to photograph it, the place is repellent to nearly everyone who encounters it. In fact, members of the Red Army who took up residence there during the Cultural Revolution fled, and locals still won't set foot inside. According to one ghost forum, the government tried to raze the place some years back, but halted the project after some construction workers mysteriously disappeared.

Perhaps in an admission of defeat, the home is now listed on the historic register, so it can't be demolished. But nothing is being done to preserve it, either. Money isn't the problem here—there's new construction going up all over Beijing. Again, the problem is obviously local ghost lore:


It has led some to suspect that the derelict state of the home has more to do with ghosts, or at least the belief in ghosts, than with costs. Potential tenants might be shunning the home, some say, because of a tendency among many Chinese to avoid all things related to death. The superstition is so pervasive in Chinese culture that mobile numbers or apartments with addresses that contain the number 4 are often automatically devalued, since the word for four in Chinese sounds like the word for death.

The only signs of recent life at the house? Graffiti, which warns people to stay the hell away, and beer bottles from the (clearly drunk) people brave enough to sneak in. But according to one film website, there's currently a horror movie being made about the house—which is bound to complete its transformation from local to international legend.

7 Celebs Who Survived Living in Real Haunted Houses!

It's the most wonderful time of the year ... if you're more into disembodied, vengeful spirits and ghoulish apparitions than snowmen and jingle bells, that is. Yup, Halloween season is officially upon us, and what with celeb exorcisms making headlines (not to mention teen girl exorcisms), we think it makes perfect sense to turn the spotlight on a small but significant portion of the rich & famous: Celebs who live (or have lived) in haunted houses. That's right, even Hollywood types get the bejeezus scared out of them from time to time, and some of their stories are freaky enough to merit silver screen reenactments -- except, of course, the last thing any of these already-spooked sorts probably want to do is simulate the horrors endured at home.

But that's okay, cause we're here to dish on all the gory details for you! Check out the truly twisted tales of these 7 celebs who lived in seriously haunted houses.

1. Nicolas Cage

It should come as a surprise to approximately no one that Nicolas Cage not only tops our list of celebs who lived in haunted houses, but that he bought a haunted house ON PURPOSE. And not just any haunted house, one of the most notoriously haunted houses ever, New Orleans' LaLaurie Mansion (owned by a socialite in the 1830s who was notorious for abusing her servants). "It's allegedly the most severely haunted house in the United States of America ... that's what they tell me," said Cage. So haunted, in fact, that Cage reportedly never even slept in the house before selling it in 2009.

2. Keanu Reeves

We know what you're thinking -- Keanu Reeves?? Ted "Theodore" Logan? What kind of ghost would want to haunt such a mellow dude? Apparently one in a double-breasted suit with no legs, cause that's what appeared to a 5-year-old Keanu and his sister. EEEK!

3. Matthew McConaughey

Again: Who'd want to haunt that mellow dude's house? Well, a female spirit named "Madame Blue" who likes to make "noises that sounded like a dime getting dropped about ten feet." According to Matthew, once he started walking around the place naked all the time carrying a baseball bat, he and his ghoulfriend started getting along. (Ya think??)

4. Loretta Lynn

Remember what we were saying about burial grounds? Just ask Loretta Lynn -- the country crooner had the misfortune of buying a home with 19 Confederate soldiers buried on the grounds, plus slaves from an old "slave pit" and an unearthly "woman in white" (probably the least horrifying of the bunch!).

5. Adele

Yeah, well, that's what you get when you buy a 10-bedroom former convent to live in, Adele: Lots of scary bump-in-the-night noises, to the point where she paid female bodyguards to sleep there with her! (As if a bodyguard could really protect her from a dead nun. Good luck with that!)

6. Anne Rice

Sure, even less surprising than Nic Cage -- and also in New Orleans -- but still worth noting, because the author who made vampires cool long before the Cullens once lived in the Brevard House, famous for a creepy mist that would rise on the porch where the original owner shot himself. (Rice made the house the setting for her novel "The Witching Hour.")

7. Alyson Hannigan

We wouldn't have pegged the How I Met Your Mother star as a spook-enthusiast either, but Hannigan says a ghost shares the home she lives in with her husband and daughter, and he once appeared in the bathroom window. Cheeky!

Have you ever lived in a haunted house?

What to do about Poltergeist!

Poltergeist phenomena involve things moving by themselves, sounds such as knocking or rapping, or inexplicable behaviour or malfunction of electrical or electronic devices, as well as other types of mysterious phenomena.


When the phenomena happens at various locations but always in the presence of one particular person, it is usually the person causing the phenomenon unconsciously through psychokinesis (unconscious PK). In this case, there may be something causing the person to be emotionally upset that is causing them to produce the phenomenon. If you can figure out what is causing the emotional problem and eliminate it, the phenomenon may stop.


A well known example of unconscious PK producing poltergeist phenomena is the Tropican Arts poltergeist case in Miami, Florida. If you or someone you know is experiencing unconscious PK.


Unconscious PK is sometimes called the Pauli Effect because the Nobel prize winning physicist Wolfgang Pauli was known to wreck lab equipment just by walking through the laboratory door.


When poltergeist phenomenon happens in only one location and does not depend on the presence of any particular individual, it is probably caused by a spirit. If you can encourage the spirit to complete its transition to the spirit world the phenomena may stop.

Famous Ghost Hoaxes

Some ghost stories are believed to be true until they are officially debunked. Watch this About.com video to learn how famous ghost hoaxes were finally revealed.

Everyone loves a good ghostly image, but if it’s a work of trickery, not of the hereafter, then let’s say so.  Hello. I'm Thea Lewis of Queen City Ghostwalk for About.com, and today I'm going to tell you about famous ghost hoaxes. 

Ghost Legends Debunked

Of the great volume of vaporous images pored over every year by apparition aficionados, three of the most famous have blessedly been debunked. The notorious Wem ghost, an image of a little girl surrounded by flame, was, sadly, no more than a clever fake.

Experts conclude the Amityville Ghost is likely a member of a paranormal team who investigated the famous home. The ghost of Jim Morrison turned out to be nothing more than a projected image, engineered by someone intent on creating a publicity stunt.  

Ghost Hoaxes Used for Press Coverage

When you want a high-end ghost hoax, sometimes money is no object. The "Raffles Place Ghost", a video that shows two men being followed out of an elevator by the apparition of an old woman cost the HR and Consulting firm that commissioned it $100,000 to make. Then it went viral, causing something else to materialize: Millions in free PR.

Watch the About.com video here

Switzerland's Answer To The Loch Ness Monster

A SINISTER figure has reportedly been caught on camera lurking in the woods in western Switzerland.

Dressed in a military uniform with a gas mask covering his face, the figure, known as 'Le Loyon', is said to have been haunting the woods for the past decade. He apparently walks the same route every day.

However, there was no evidence of his existence until local news website Le Matin published the first known photograph of the mystery man last month, and now police are trying to track him down. But is it for real?

"I came across him near the marches," an unnamed amateur photographer who tracked him down told Le Matin. "I approached him up to a dozen metres away.

"He had a military cape, boots and an army gas mark - an antique type, I think. He measured more than 1.9m. He stared at me then turned his back on me and left in silence."

Other locals have also told of their frightening encounters with the man.

"It scared my children," a woman said. "He came out of the woods with his military clothes. We saw neither his face nor his eyes behind his big dark gas mask. It was scary and I know women who are venturing alone in the forest."

Another local resident, Marianne Descloux of Maules, said she also saw him: "It was a rainy Sunday. He had on a cap, a dark cloak and gas mask. What goes on in his head? I don't know. It was unpleasant. I hope I never run into him again."

The figure was also reportedly spotted clutching what appeared to be a bunch of flowers.

"Families simply won't go into the forest any more," a farmer said.

Police want to speak to Le Loyon to ask him to be less threatening, although he's shown no signs of aggressive behaviour.

Such is the hysteria, that he has been called 'Switzerland's answer to the Loch Ness monster'.

"The situation is delicate because we basically have nothing against this person," Guy Savary, the municipal official in charge of forests, said.

"But since he arouses these fears, we are going to hold meeting to see if we can find a way of locating him, and discouraging him from behaving as he does."

Some believe he could be suffering from a nasty skin condition, is mentally ill or a hermit.

So what do you think, is it a hoax?

Ryan Buell. The man, The Fight & The Paranormal

Ryan Buell never intended to be in front of a camera. “It was the last thing on my mind.”, he says.

Anyone who has seen the ground breaking show “Paranormal State” knows that Ryan experienced very frightening paranormal activity as a child. To this day, Ryan has never given out the full details of what happened to him. He has revealed what is he felt was appropriate at different times. Becauase of the activity and the fear it caused him, he became interested in finding the answers to what he had been through. What was it? He studied the paranormal as much as he could. When he went to college he formed a paranormal research team called the Paranormal Research Society, PRS. Because of his own experience, Ryan was sympathetic to the things that clients reported. PRS took on cases where help was needed with what appeared to be paranormal or even demonic activity. PRS began as a group of students on campus with a thirst for the truth and the determination to help those needed it. Ryan was approached to bring PRS to television, but that decision took 3-4 years to make. Paranormal State went on to become one of the most popular television shows in the paranormal genre. The show ended production in 2011, having filmed 83 episodes. The show remains a favourite of many in reruns today.

All the while Ryan was in school and after graduation, he continued to search for answers to the questions of the paranormal. With Bachelor degrees on journalism and anthropology from Penn State University, he served as Co-Executive Producer for “Paranormal State” and for “The Ghost Prophecies”, of which he is also the co-creator. He directed episodes of Paranormal State and was also the Executive Producer of the feature film American Ghost Hunter, which was released in 2010. Ryan wrote and published his memoir, “Paranormal State: My Journey into the Unknown” that year. In his book, he revealed to the world that he was bi-sexual and talked openly about his struggle to reconcile his sexual orientation with his Catholic faith.

In 2012, at the age of 30, the busy world of Ryan Buell came to a stop when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Such a diagnosis would cause many to stop what they are doing and prepare for the worst. Even worse, at an age where most people are just beginning to figure out what they want to do in life, here was a terrifying diagnosis. In Ryan’s case, it slowed him down, but he has not stopped moving forward. After taking time to seek treatment for his illness, Ryan is making plans for the future. And that future looks amazing.

Ryan had not done a paranormal radio show interview for over a year since he announced his illness. He talked to Anthony Agate and Luci Leibfried on the Blogtalk radio show Paranormal Review Radio in an exclusive interview on September 6th, 2013. “I was actually extraordinarily nervous about doing this interview.” After being reminded he has done a lot of interviews. “Things are different, I've become a hermit. I really have not been involved in much at all.” Ryan admits he has been doing some soul searching. “When I was investigating the paranormal, we were trying to answer questions about what happens to us when we die, but now here I was and still am, now making peace with the fact that I may very well die.” “When it first happened, we didn't know if I was going to live past 6 months. I was very sick. A lot of what I had to go through was, trying to make peace with death. And of course this happened right as I was at the end of my twenties. We all have one guarantee in life, we die, but no one really expects it and this, in a lot of ways is a slow on. It’s a slow death. You battle and fight as hard as you can and if you’re lucky you make it out and some, they do. Granted there is no defeat in death, but a lot of the battle is psychological. I’m able to do things now that I haven’t been able to do for a while.”

Ryan admits that he is becomes tired easily now. He is making improvement, but he says “Anyone who knows me, knows, that is not me.” He has good days and bad. He knows it may be years before anyone knows how much he can improve. Ryan was angry for a while, but says “Of course it has affected my life. After a while you start to look at it, I can’t control what happened, but I can be thankful for what I am doing now.”

So what is this amazing human being planning? A return to television among other things. Fans of Paranormal State will be happy to know that the show will be returning. Some of the team will return, but expect to see some new faces. Ryan shared his thoughts on who he is, what his life's work is and where he wants to go in the future, during the interview. Throughout his journey, he states that he has felt lonely, feeling like he had to hold it all in. He talks about his detractors, but admits by being public, they will always be there.

In spite of the cards he has been dealt, Ryan Buell is and a shining example of determination and courage in a world where heroes are hard to come by. Illness is my have slowed him down, but he certainly is not going to stop doing what he loves. He shows no signs of giving into his illness. And that is a beautiful thing to see.

To see what Ryan is planning and to get updates on his progress, you can go to ....

ParanromalResearchSociety.org

 

and you can hear the full interview with Paranormal Review Radio on.... 

Blogtalkradio.com/paranormalreview

A Paranormal State playlist will soon be available here