Finding Bigfoot in China

Large, hairy semi-human creatures resembling apes are said to be living in the wilderness areas of North America.  Called Bigfoot, or sometimes Sasquatch, they are rarely seen in the wild, yet are ubiquitous in books, movies, TV shows, museums and people’s imaginations.

Is Bigfoot real? While much of the scientific community says no, there are some respected researchers who say the evidence suggests that there really is a race ‘wild men’ living secretive lives in caves or rudimentary huts in remote areas of Canada and the United States.

Statue of Bigfoot at Pike's Peak

There’s another factor that might lend some credibility to the legend of Bigfoot – they are found on virtually every continent of the globe. The creature seems to be the same everywhere, with the chief difference being the name.

In each area, the ‘beast’ goes by a different ‘handle’. In this installment of the series, we’ll study Bigfoot in China, where the creature is called “Yeren”, which translates as ‘Wild Man’.  Like Bigfoot, the Yeren is said to be a large animal, similar to the orangutans of Southeast Asia, but walking more erect, in a manner more human than ape-like.

In size, the Yeren might be slightly smaller than its cousins in America.  Reports indicate that they range from about five feet tall up to seven feet.   Witnesses who claim to have seen Yeren say that they have large stomachs but can run very fast and are quite agile.

The faces of the Yeren are described as being a mix of human and ape.  Their feet are big and they leave a footprint of about one and a half feet, which is close to six inches larger than an average man’s footprint.  They do not wear coverings on their feet, as revealed by the footprints which show five toes.  The foot structure seems to be closer to an ape than a human. 

Entrance to the Yeren Cave in China. In English the writing means,  "Wild Man's Cave"                                     

                                       

One plausible explanation for the origin of the Yeren comes from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.  Their researchers speculate that the ‘Wild Man of China’ evolved from a species of giant ape which lived in Asia, but was declared to have died out some 500,000 years ago. 

In the Shennongjia Nature Reserve researchers have found footprints said to be made by Yeren. The plaster casts taken from the prints are being studied as well as displayed in museums. Tourists visiting the reserve have reported a fairly large number of creature sightings.

The Yeren believers say that the beast is a carnivore and preys on humans. They narrate stories of giant beasts grabbing captive humans by the arms and eating them alive. The Chinese scientific community continues to send research teams into the reserve, but have yet to produce conclusive evidence of the beast’s existence. However, the stories of the Wild Man of China continue to be part of local folklore and myths.

The Chinese journal of Cryptozoology, reports that the Yeren bodies are covered in a layer of coarse hair one and a half inches long.  Their anatomy is similar to human males and females. They have a language, part of which features a very distinctive yell. 

Deer Hunter Rick Jacobs took this photo while on a hunt in Pennsylvania.  It's said to be a young Bigfoot.

Combined theories from accounts and observations suggest that they are not very social, choosing not to live in groups.  Males and females roam their territory in pairs. Though they walk on their legs, the Yeren can use all four limbs when running or climbing.

Most people in the United States have probably never heard of the Yeren, but actually they are referred to in popular culture quite often. 

The Wildman of China is featured in  ‘Monster in My Pocket #119.’ It shows up in John Carpenter's film Big Trouble in Little China. Yerens are cast as monsters in the Iron Lore Entertainment video game Titan Quest. They can be found in Act III (Orient mission) of the game.

On television, Syfy's show, Destination Truth searched for the Yeren in episode 12 of season 3. Animal Planet's show Finding Bigfoot searched for the Yeren in episode 5 of season 4 "Kung Fu Bigfoot", and Lila from Cartoon Network’s animated series The Life and Times of Juniper Lee, is a Yeren.

Bigfoot Crossing at Pike's Peak

Though there still remain a few tales that describe the Wild Man of China as a vicious killer, most accounts claim that they eat fruits such as berries and nuts,  and sometimes insects.  Piles of empty corn cobs have been discovered in areas said to be inhabited by the Yeren. 

If you ever go to China to research the Yeren, you can be pretty sure that the accounts of them tearing off peoples’ arms and eating them are just old folk tales.   But take along a couple sacks of nuts and berries to toss to them, just in case you encounter some especially hungry ones.