Representation of Huli Jing (Female Fox Spirit) in Chinese Literary Texts

Abstract

Chinese women are often depicted in mythological texts as supernatural beings, such as ghosts and spirits. Female supernatural beings are also described as having bad behavior and bringing disaster to men. One of the bad female supernatural creatures is the fox spirit (Huli Jing). The life of fox spirit can be found in literary texts from imperial to modern times, such as Fox Enchantment (1766) by Pu Songling and Dragon Springs Road (2017) by Janie Chang. This study tries to compare the representation of Huli Jing in imperial and modern texts. In analysing the problem of women’s representation through fox spirit, this study uses a descriptive anaylsis method combined with the semiotic concept of Roland Barthes. This study aims to reveal the transformation of Huli Jing’s representation, as well as the construction of women in Chinese mythology.KEYWORDS: fox spirit; representation; mythology