Yang Guifei (杨贵妃, 719–756 CE) is one of the most famous women in Chinese history. Her real name was Yang Yuhuan (杨玉环). She became the beloved consort of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and is remembered as one of the Four Beauties of Ancient China (alongside Xi Shi, Wang Zhaojun, and Diaochan).
She was celebrated for her extraordinary beauty, her plump yet graceful figure (considered the ideal of Tang aesthetics), and her talent in music and dance. But her story ended tragically: during the An Lushan Rebellion (755–763 CE), Emperor Xuanzong was forced to flee. His soldiers, blaming Yang Guifei and her powerful family for the empire's downfall, demanded her death. She was executed at Mawei Post Station in 756, and her life became a symbol of beauty entwined with political disaster.
-
The link between fox spirits (狐狸精, huli jing) and seduction comes from a long tradition in Chinese folklore and Daoist mythology:
1. Shapeshifting into Beautiful Women
Fox spirits were believed to be able to transform into humans, most often into beautiful women. They would use this form to enchant or seduce men, sometimes draining their energy or life force to strengthen themselves.
2. Ambiguity: Evil vs. Benevolent
Not all fox spirits were malevolent. Some were tricksters or even loyal lovers. However, the dangerous seductress image became the most culturally enduring. In patriarchal society, stories of fox spirits often carried a cautionary undertone: beware of lust, temptation, and women who might "ruin" households.
3. Association with Women's Sexuality
The term huli jing later became a derogatory metaphor for "homewreckers" or women who seduce married men. In modern Chinese, calling someone a fox spirit still implies they are a manipulative seductress.
4. Parallels with Yang Guifei
While Yang Guifei herself was not literally called a fox spirit in history, later literature and criticism often cast beautiful, politically influential women (like her or Daji, the concubine blamed for the fall of the Shang Dynasty) in that role. Their beauty and intimacy with rulers were seen as dangerous forces that led to dynastic collapse. This moralizing tendency tied female sexuality and allure with downfall and chaos.
-
In short:
Yang Guifei symbolizes overwhelming beauty and tragic romance, but also the danger of female influence at court.
Fox spirits/vixens became a mythological projection of the same idea: irresistible seduction that can bring both pleasure and ruin.