The story of meng po dates back to Spring and Autumn period (approximately from 771 to 476 BC), which is known for its philosophers (such as Confucius, Lao Zi, and Sun Zi), and different systems of thoughts (such as Confucianism and Taoism). The ideas and principles from then still have a profound influence on Chinese society today. Meng Po is a mythological character from one Taoist text. 
Meng Po (孟婆), also called the goddess of forgetfulness, is an old woman who lives in the realm of the dead. Seeing how countless souls of the dead had refused to let go of their life memories and suffer in the afterlife, Meng Po set up a cauldron by Nai He Bridge to make the tea of forgetfulness.
According one version of the story, when the soul of a dead crosses the bridge, it would encounter three beautiful servants of Meng Po who hold a cup of tea. The tea’s strong aroma makes it difficult to resist drinking. By the time the soul finishes the tea, it would see a spoonful of mud at the bottom of the teacup. When it looks up, the three beautiful servants would turn into skeletons, and by then the soul has forgotten everything from its past-life.
Meng Po’s tea of forgetfulness removes the emotional burdens that the souls of the dead carry, so that when the souls enter their next life cycle, they wouldn’t be troubled by their past memories.
Tea of forgetfulness
The most important concept in the myth of Meng Po is forgetting everything upon death. Letting go of past memories and emotions of love, hate, or jealousy is one principle of Taoism. In fact, “一死百了” （nothing matters after death) is a phrase that is still used in China.
An old woman
The elderly characters in myths are often symbols of eternity. Indeed, Meng Po helps the dead navigate from one life to another in a seemingly never-ending cycle (in Chinese, “Po” means grandma), consistent with the concept of eternity. She is also a female, and females are usually in charge of birth and rebirth in mythology.
In this regard, what Meng Po represents is similar to Los trempulcahue.
Picture Source: Pinterest
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