Huli Jing in Mythology
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The fox spirit, huli jing, appears as a young, beautiful, seductive woman. One of the most famous and feared huli jing in Chinese culture is Daji, mentioned in the novella Fengshen Yanyi, written during the Ming dynasty. Daji was a beautiful young woman, daughter of a general, who was forcibly married by her parents to a tyrant named Zhou Xin. After Zhou Xin insulted Nuwa, the latter sent a nine-tailed fox spirit to enter Daji's body, taking control and expelling her original spirit. Daji, now possessed by the nine-tailed fox spirit, and her tyrant husband invented numerous terrifying and bloody methods of torture. One involved tying victims to metal poles heated in fire. Because of their cruelty, the subjects of the Shang dynasty (Zhou Xin’s dynasty), along with former loyal army generals, revolted against them. Eventually, the empire was taken over by one of Zhou Xin’s former vassals, King Wen of Zhou, who established the dynasty bearing his name. Later, the fox spirit in Daji’s body was exorcised by Jiang Ziya—the prime minister of the new Zhou dynasty—and ultimately punished by Nuwa for the excessive cruelty it had displayed.
In general, huli jing is considered dangerous, a malicious spirit, though there are stories in which the fox spirit takes the form of a beautiful young woman and a love story develops between her and a young man.
Legends of the fox spirit also appear in Malaysia.
There are accounts of huli jing in Chinese Chan Buddhist writings as well. Linji Yixuan (9th century) writes: "Young, immature monks, not understanding (this phenomenon), believe in the existence of these spirits (huli jing)". Here, the fox spirit speaks about the Middle Way and/or the Dharma. They are perceived as maleficent influences that lead innocents (e.g., young monks) into sin.
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