Chinese Huli Jing and Fox-Spirit Narratives in Early Republican Folklore

Record summary

Huli jing traditions concern fox spirits that may live for long periods, assume human form, seduce or assist people, and participate in religious or literary narratives. Early Republican China saw renewed collection, classification, and popular circulation of supernatural tales through newspapers, fiction, local gazetteers, and folklore scholarship. The lead supports comparison with Japanese kitsune and Korean kumiho while highlighting shared and divergent East Asian motifs. Researchers must identify a dated Chinese source and distinguish classical literary inheritance from local cult practice or modern fiction.