In a high-rise apartment in Taipei, a Daoist priest in traditional robes sets up an altar on a glass coffee table. He burns talismans over a stainless steel bowl. His client — a 28-year-old software engineer — watches from the couch, holding her phone. She found the priest on Facebook.
This is modern Chinese exorcism: ancient ritual technology deployed in contemporary settings, booked through social media, paid for via mobile transfer, and documented on Instagram stories. The cosmology hasn't changed — demons are still demons, ghosts are still ghosts, the celestial bureaucracy still processes complaints. But the interface has been thoroughly updated.
Where Exorcism Still Thrives
Chinese exorcism practices are most active in regions where folk religion was never suppressed or has been revived:
| Region | Status | Notes | |---|---|---| | Taiwan | Thriving | Full religious freedom; temples on every block | | Hong Kong | Active | Strong folk religion tradition despite urbanization | | Singapore | Active | Multi-ethnic context; Chinese temples well-funded | | Malaysia | Active | Chinese communities maintain traditional practices | | Southern China (Fujian, Guangdong) | Reviving | Post-Cultural Revolution revival since 1980s | | Northern China | Less common | Folk religion less prominent; Buddhist/secular alternatives | | Overseas Chinese communities | Variable | Depends on local community size and temple infrastructure |
Taiwan is the epicenter. The island never experienced the Cultural Revolution's destruction of religious infrastructure, and Daoist and folk religion practices have continued uninterrupted. There are over 12,000 registered temples in Taiwan (for a population of 23 million), and many of them offer exorcism services.
The Modern Exorcist's Toolkit
Today's Daoist exorcist (道士, dàoshi) or spirit medium (乩童, jītóng) uses a combination of traditional and modern tools:
Traditional:
- Talismans (符, fú) — still hand-written on yellow paper with cinnabar ink
- Ritual swords — peachwood or metal
- Incense, candles, offerings
- Oracle blocks (筊杯, jiǎo bēi) for divination
- Ritual chanting and scripture recitation
Modern additions:
- Smartphones for scheduling and communication
- Social media for marketing and client acquisition
- LED candles in some urban temples (fire safety)
- Printed talismans (mass-produced, though traditionalists disapprove)
- Video consultations for overseas clients
- Digital payment (WeChat Pay, Line Pay, PayNow)
The most significant modern change is accessibility. In the past, finding an exorcist required personal connections — you asked your grandmother, who asked her temple friend, who knew a priest. Now you can search "驱邪" (qū xié, "exorcism") on Google Maps and find rated practitioners with reviews.
Common Modern Cases
The types of spiritual problems that bring people to exorcists haven't changed dramatically, but the contexts have:
Haunted apartments: Urban housing in Asia is dense, and apartments change hands frequently. A common complaint: "Since we moved into this apartment, everyone's been sick / having nightmares / fighting." The exorcist investigates the apartment's history — was someone sick or did someone die there? — and performs a cleansing ritual.
Business problems: A restaurant that can't keep customers, a shop where employees keep quitting, an office where equipment malfunctions constantly. Business owners, even highly educated ones, may consult a Daoist priest alongside a business consultant.
Unexplained illness: When modern medicine can't find a cause, some families turn to spiritual diagnosis. This is particularly common for mental health issues, which still carry stigma in many Chinese communities. A person experiencing depression, anxiety, or psychotic episodes may be brought to a spirit medium before (or alongside) a psychiatrist.
Relationship problems: Sudden personality changes in a spouse, unexplained hostility between family members, or a string of failed relationships may be attributed to spiritual interference — a jealous ghost, a curse from a rival, or an unhappy ancestor.
Post-accident trauma: After car accidents, near-death experiences, or surviving natural disasters, some people experience what they describe as spiritual disturbance — seeing shadows, hearing voices, feeling a presence. An exorcist may be consulted to "settle the soul" (安魂, ānhún).
The Jitong: Spirit Mediums in Action
The most dramatic form of modern Chinese exorcism involves the jitong (乩童, jītóng) — spirit mediums who enter trance states and allow deities to possess them. During possession, the jitong speaks with the deity's voice, diagnoses spiritual problems, and prescribes solutions.
Jitong practices are most common in Taiwan and Southeast Asian Chinese communities. A typical session:
- The jitong prepares with meditation and prayer
- Drums and chanting induce a trance state
- The deity "descends" (降乩, jiàng jī) into the jitong's body
- The possessed jitong may perform self-mortification — cutting the tongue, piercing the cheeks with skewers, hitting the back with spiked balls — to demonstrate the deity's presence (the jitong reportedly feels no pain during trance)
- Clients approach and describe their problems
- The deity (speaking through the jitong) diagnoses the cause and prescribes remedies
- The deity departs and the jitong returns to normal consciousness
The self-mortification aspect is controversial. Medical professionals point out the obvious health risks. Skeptics argue that the trance state is self-induced and the "possession" is performance. Believers counter that the wounds heal unusually fast and that the jitong provides accurate information they couldn't have known otherwise.
The Skepticism Question
Modern Chinese communities have a complicated relationship with exorcism. Survey data from Taiwan suggests:
- About 60-70% of the population participates in folk religion practices to some degree
- A smaller percentage (perhaps 20-30%) actively believes in spirit possession and exorcism
- Many people occupy a middle ground: they don't fully believe, but they don't fully disbelieve either
This ambivalence is captured in a common Chinese saying: "I'd rather believe it exists than believe it doesn't" (宁可信其有，不可信其无, nìng kě xìn qí yǒu, bù kě xìn qí wú). It's a pragmatic position: the cost of believing and being wrong (some wasted money on a ritual) is lower than the cost of not believing and being wrong (an angry ghost in your house).
Exorcism and Mental Health
The intersection of exorcism and mental health is the most sensitive aspect of modern practice. In some cases, spiritual consultation delays necessary psychiatric treatment. In others, it provides comfort and community support that complements medical care.
Progressive Daoist priests in Taiwan and Singapore increasingly refer clients to mental health professionals when they suspect a medical rather than spiritual cause. Some temples have informal partnerships with local clinics. The boundary between spiritual care and medical care is being negotiated in real time, case by case.
The best modern exorcists function less like supernatural warriors and more like community counselors who happen to use ritual technology. They listen. They assess. They provide a framework for understanding distress. And sometimes — whether through spiritual power, placebo effect, or the simple comfort of being taken seriously — people feel better afterward.
The demons of the 21st century may be anxiety, isolation, and the relentless pressure of modern life. The ancient rituals address these demons too, in their way. The talisman on the door says: you are protected. The incense smoke says: someone is listening. The priest's chanting says: you are not alone in this.
Whether that's exorcism or therapy depends on your vocabulary. The effect, sometimes, is the same.