Bestiary · Chinese · Shape-shifter
Fox spirit
Also known as: fox spirits, fox demon, fox demons, demon fox, demon foxes, huli jing
In Chinese tales, a fox that gains the power to take human form with age, and bewitches, seduces or serves people.
In the fox chapters of the Taiping guangji, a fox grows in power with age. At fifty it can become a woman; at a hundred, a beautiful woman, a spirit medium, or a man who seduces women; at a thousand, a Heavenly Fox that communicates with Heaven.
Fox spirits in these tales take the form of wives and husbands, scholars, monks, servants and even dead relatives. Many are dangerous: they bewitch young people, cut off hair at night, or lead whole families astray. Others are loyal and kind, and some, like Miss Ren and Lady Li in the story of Ji Zhen, stay faithful to the death.
The fox's enemy is the dog. Again and again, a hunting dog sees through a disguise that no human can.