Daji

Daji was the alleged favorite consort of Di Xin, the last king of the Shang dynasty in ancient China. However, she is not recorded in contemporary oracle bone inscriptions.

In historical legends and some fictions, she is portrayed as a malevolent fox spirit who kills and impersonates the real Daji. Her identification as a fox spirit seems to have originated from at least the Tang dynasty. These accounts have been popularized in works such as the , the , and the . She is considered a classic example of how a beautiful femme fatale can cause the downfall of a dynasty in Chinese culture.

In the Song dynasty, fox spirit cults, including those dedicated to Daji, were outlawed, but their suppression was unsuccessful. For example, in 1111, an imperial edict was issued for the destruction of many spirit shrines within Kaifeng, including those of Daji.

Biography

Daji was a noblewoman from the ancient State of Yousu . According to traditional naming conventions, her clan name was Ji , while Da was a style name or honorific meaning "daughter". Although she is commonly known as Su Daji , historians note that "Su" refers to the State of Yousu rather than a personal surname. Thus, the name Su Daji literally means "the daughter of the Ji clan from the State of Yousu", and her personal given name is unknown. Early in his reign, Di Xin invaded Yousu and took Daji as his prize. Di Xin soon became besotted with her and his infatuation led to prolific and wasteful spending, which in turn required further taxation.

The opponents of Di Xin's rule believed that Daji was to blame for many ills affecting the kingdom. And so, after the fall of the Shang dynasty, Daji was executed on the orders of King Wu of Zhou on the advice of Jiang Ziya. The Grand Historian by Sima Qian, only briefly mentions Daji and her execution, that Di Xin had listened only to Daji, and that she was killed after Di Xin. She had become King Wu's excuse for taking over the kingdom, and, as such, the government was renewed following her death. Other sources state that she committed suicide by strangulation.

Daji as a mythical fox Daji was not originally associated with fox spirits in early historical records. Pre-Qin and Western Han texts, such as the Book of Documents and Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian, describe her strictly as a cruel human woman who exerted undue influence over King Zhou. The association with foxes did not emerge until the Eastern Han dynasty, coinciding with the rise of prophetic theology and Daoist mysticism, which popularized the concept of foxes interacting with humans and attaining magical properties.

Tomb A tomb traditionally attributed to Daji, known as the Tomb of Su Daji , is located in present-day Qi County, Henan Province, near the site of the ancient Shang capital of Zhaoge. The earthen tomb is situated near the Qi River, about 100 meters north of the Tomb of King Zhou and beside the tomb of Queen Jiang. The site is listed as a protected cultural relic of Henan Province.

Modern adaptations In the 2006 television series The Legend and the Hero, Daji is divided into two separate identities. The human Daji is portrayed as kind and innocent, while the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon is depicted as a separate entity that possesses her body and commits the evil acts attributed to Daji. In the series, Nüwa accepts the human Daji as her disciple and grants her the title Guanghan Xianzi , identifying her with Chang'e, the Moon Goddess.

The 2019 television series Investiture of the Gods significantly departs from the original novel by portraying Daji's relationship with the Fox Demon King as a tragic romance. In this adaptation, Daji seeks revenge for the massacre of her family, the Su clan of Jizhou. Later in the series, Jiang Ziya places Daji on the Deification List, conferring upon her the title Yongling Xing (; "Eternal Spirit Star"). Daji, however, declines the deification and instead chooses to enter the Dark Abyss to remain with the Fox Demon.

Interpretations An article published in the state-sponsored magazine National Humanities History traces the evolution of Daji's image in Chinese literature. It notes that some Eastern Han and Wei–Jin texts, including the Daoist work Zhen'gao , describe Daji as possessing the qualifications to become a "Terrestrial Immortal" through the Daoist practice of corpse liberation . According to the article, later Confucian scholars rejected this interpretation on the grounds that an evil figure should not attain divine status, contributing to Daji's portrayal as a demon in later tradition. The article suggests that this development may explain why the Ming dynasty novel Investiture of the Gods depicts Daji as being executed rather than deified. It also argues that Daji belongs to a broader literary tradition in which beautiful women were used as scapegoats for political failures, drawing parallels with Mo Xi, who was blamed for the fall of the Xia dynasty, and Bao Si, who was associated with the collapse of the Western Zhou.

According to Academia Sinica researcher Huang Ming-chorng argues that this revised historical understanding also provides context for Daji's execution. Drawing on archaeological evidence, he suggests that, following the Battle of Muye, Daji was treated not as a palace consort but as a defeated military leader. According to Huang, she was likely executed, decapitated, and her head presented at the Zhou ancestral temple as a war trophy. Huang further argues that Daji's later demonization reflects a cultural clash between the Shang and Zhou dynasties. He notes that the Book of Documents records King Wu of Zhou criticizing King Zhou for allowing a "hen to crow in the morning" , a metaphor condemning female participation in government. Huang argues that, while women exercised political and military authority in Shang society, the more patriarchal Zhou dynasty regarded such practices as illegitimate, contributing to Daji's later portrayal as a corrupting influence.

In an analysis published in The Paper, Zeng Yuli examines Daji's role through the lens of ancient Chinese political thought. Zeng argues that, because rebellion by a minister against a ruler was traditionally regarded as morally unacceptable, the author of Investiture of the Gods uses Nüwa and Daji to provide a divine justification for the Zhou conquest of the Shang dynasty. According to Zeng, by portraying Daji as the archetypal "femme fatale" , the novel attributes the fall of the Shang dynasty to demonic influence rather than political failure. Zeng further argues that Daji serves as a political scapegoat, and that her execution at the end of the story helps preserve the moral legitimacy of the new Zhou regime despite the unfairness of her fate.

In a feminist literary critique published by The Paper, You Haihong discusses the portrayal of women in Ming and Qing dynasty fiction, arguing that female characters are often subjected to extreme violence by "righteous" authorities in ways that reinforce patriarchal values. You identifies Daji as an example of this pattern, arguing that, as a female demon occupying the lowest position in the mythological hierarchy, she is portrayed as doomed from the outset and has no status from which to defend herself. You further argues that Nüwa's execution of the fox demons represents an act of "crossing the river and destroying the bridge" , and interprets it as evidence of Nüwa's hypocrisy rather than an act of divine justice.

Archaeological reassessment Archaeological evidence confirms that the folklore surrounding Daji's fox-like nature was firmly established by the Han dynasty. Relief carvings discovered in a Han dynasty tomb in Feixian, Shandong province, depict an execution scene featuring the Duke of Zhou and a prominent figure labeled as Su Daji. In the carving, Daji is depicted wearing noble attire but possesses a large, distinct, four-curved fox tail, illustrating that her mythological transformation into a fox demon had already permeated popular culture centuries before it was codified in Ming dynasty literature.

In popular culture

In January 2024, the Yuntai Mountain scenic area in Jiaozuo attracted public attention after hiring performers in fox-themed costumes to portray Daji and interact with visitors. The activity received coverage from national media and led to online discussion about the use of historical and mythological figures in tourism promotion.