![]() As the watchman only received a tael a month as wages, he acted as a hawker by day, and his old gentleman guest guaranteed him that in future his daily profits would be 50 coppers more than they had been in the past. The next morning his guest returned and apologized for his conduct of the previous evening. The host covered him with his coat and was greatly surprised to find that his guest’s features changed into those of a fox, and that eventually he disappeared from sight. He then got onto the table and went to sleep. It was accepted, and the guest not only drank heartily but gave his friend two pieces of silver, each worth ten taels. One of these occasions happened to be New Year's Eve when the watchman invited the old man to drink some wine with him. ![]() ![]() The story described how, during the last decade of the 19th century, the watchman used to receive visits from an old man who would stay some little time and talk with him. Robert Swallow related the story of the Fox Spirit in Peking, disguised as an old man, visiting the watchman in the guard house on the former city wall near the Tower of the City Gates, the Qihua Men 齊化門, the Gate of Unmixed Blessings, officially known as the Chaoyang Men 朝陽門, The Gate Facing the Sun, and referred to colloquially as The Fox Tower. Within months, with major misfortunes persisting, the house was vacated and left empty. Before they left they explained the whole story causing laughter at the idea of a Fox Spirit. Some months later the Lums left for Japan and handed over the house to friends. Even with the new shrine constructed misfortunes continued to befall them. He revealed the house to be occupied by a Fox Spirit who felt neglected and needing her shrine to be moved to a pleasanter site. Eventually their servants suggested calling in a Fengshui man to discover the cause of the troubles. Within a short time they realised that their life was being affected by a series of misfortunes. Peter Lum and her mother returned to the Far East to study wood block prints, first renting a Chinese house in a Peking Hutung in 1927. The Fox remained a good friend to Che and his family until Che died whereupon the Fox disappeared forever. They soon became boon companions, with the Fox not only leading Che to a hoard of silver but also guiding him to shrewd investments, enabling Che to lead a comfortable life. ![]() However, when he awoke next morning the Fox had disappeared and in its place was a well-dressed young man. Not too sure what he should do, Che decided to curl up and go back to sleep. Che 車, a young scholar, awoke to find that a fox was curled up asleep beside him with one of the bottles of wine beside him which having been full was now empty. Pu Songling also relates the tale of a friendly and beneficent Fox Spirit. Some wealthy people ascribe their good fortune to their careful worship of the fox, and in many places Fox Spirits were addressed as Cai Shen 財神, gods of wealth, as they were believed to bring prosperity to the devotee. People live in great fear of them and immense sums of money are expended to keep on good terms with them by offerings, incense, meats, tablets, etc. It only appears after dark and often not in its own shape but as a man or a beautiful girl to tempt to ruin’. A former missionary, Samuel Couling, in his Encyclopaedia Sinica described Fox Spirits as having ‘a form something like a fox, a creature with man’s ears, which gets on roofs and crawls along the beams of houses. ![]()
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