From medieval times, the Chinese have attributed uncanny powers to fox spirits engaged in Daoist Inner Alchemy practices. Many Qing narratives depict the fox spirits appearing as beautiful women in order to bewitch men and suck away their energy. At the same time, they also often record the fox spirits as using their magical Daoist powers to cure the illness the encounter supposedly causes. Although the fox spirit is more than just a symbol of womanhood, the contradictory attitude expressed towards the fox suggests Chinese men have held similarly ambivalent feelings about women.