Traditionally, the Chinese believed that all beings can take on a human form, acquire magical properties and immortality, provided that they find a source of energy such as human breathing or an elixir from the moon or the sun. 

Description of werewolf foxes is often found in medieval Chinese literature. Huli jing is most often represented as young, beautiful girls. In the Chinese mythopoetic tradition, this was considered the embodiment of the soul of the Dead. Meeting with huli-ching, as a bad omen, did not bode well for a person.