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DajiWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Daji
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Daji,sometimesspelledDaJi(pronouncedTachiChinese:
pinyin:DjWadeGiles:Ta2chi3)wasafavorite
concubineofKingZhouofShang,thelastkingoftheShang
dynastyinancientChina.Sheisconsideredaclassicexample
ofhowabeautycausesthedownfallofanempire/dynastyin
Chineseculture.Sheisportrayedasgirlpossessedbyanevil
foxspiritintheChinesenovelFengshenYanyi.

Contents
1Biography

Left:WenZhongandBiGanRight:King
ZhouandDaji

2Inliterature
3Inpopularculture
4Seealso
5References

Biography
DajiwasfromanoblefamilycalledSu()fromthestateofYousu().Hence,sheisalsoknownasSu
Daji.In1047BC,KingZhouofShangconqueredYousuandtookDajiashisprize.
KingZhoubecameextremelyinfatuatedwithDajiandstartedtoneglectstateaffairsinordertokeepher
company.Heusedanymeansnecessarytoingratiatehimselfwithherandtopleaseher.Dajilikedanimals
sohebuiltherazoologicalXanaduwithseveralrarespeciesofbirdsandanimals.Healsoorderedartiststo
composelewdmusicandchoreographbawdydancestosatisfyhermusicaltaste.Hegathered3000guests
atonepartytoindulgeinhis"pondofwine"and"forestofmeat".Heallowedthegueststoplayacatand
mousegamenudeintheforesttoamuseDaji.WhenoneofKingZhou'sconcubines,thedaughterofLord
Jiu,protested,KingZhouhadherexecuted.HerfatherwasgroundinpiecesandhisfleshfedtoKing
Zhou'svassals.
Dajisaidthathergreatestjoywastohearpeoplecryinphysicaltorment.Once,shesawafarmerwalking
barefootoniceandorderedhisfeetcutoffsoshecouldstudythemandfigureoutwhytheywereso
resistanttolowtemperatures.Onanotheroccasion,shehadapregnantwoman'sbellycutopensoit
satisfiedhercuriositytofindoutwhathappenedinside.Toverifyanancientsayingthat"agoodman'sheart
hassevenapertures",sheevenhadtheheartoftheministerBiGan(KingZhou'suncle)dugoutand
subjectedtoherfutilescrutiny.

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Dajiwasbestknownforherinventionofamethodoftortureknown
asPaolao().Abronzecylindercoveredwithoilwasheated
likeafurnacewithcharcoalbeneathuntilitssidesbecame
extremelyhot.Thevictimwasmadetowalkontopoftheslowly
heatingcylinderandhewasforcedtoshifthisfeettoavoidthe
burning.Theoilysurfacemadeitdifficultforthevictimtomaintain
hispositionandbalance.Ifthevictimfellintothecharcoalbelow,
hewouldbeburnttodeath.Thevictimwasforcedtodanceand
screaminagonybeforedyingwhiletheobservingKingZhouand
Dajiwouldlaughindelight.
DajiwasexecutedontheordersofKingWuofZhouafterthefallof
theShangdynastyontheadviceofJiangZiya.

Inliterature
DajiisfeaturedintheChinesenovelFengshenYanyiasamajor
antagonist.Shewasthefirstfeaturedcorrupterofthedeclining
Shangdynastyinthenovel.HerfatherSuHugaveherintoKing
ZhouofShangasanappeasementofferafterarmedconflictbroke
outbetweenSu'sandShangmilitaryforces.

KingZhouofShangandhisconsort
DajiasdepictedinFaitsmmorables
desempereursdelaChine,tirsdes
annaleschinoises(1788)

OnenightbeforeDajiwassenttothecapitalcityofZhaoge,she
waspossessedbyanevilninetailedfoxspirit(akaThousandYear
OldVixen).WhenDajiarrivedinZhaoge,shebecamethecentreof
attentionofKingZhouandcausedthekingtobeextremely
obsessedwithher.KingZhouneglectedstateaffairstokeepher
companyandignoredtheadviceofhissubjects.Yunzhongziwas
thefirstmantoactagainstDajibygivingthekingamagicalpeach
woodswordwhichwouldmakeDajiillandkillhereventually.She
roseabovetheranksfromaminorconcubinetobecomethequeen
basedontheking'sfavouritismtowardsher.
DajiwasblamedforthefalloftheShangdynastybycorrupting
DepictionofDajiintheHokusai
KingZhouandcausinghimtoneglectstateaffairsandrulewith
Manga
tyrannyanddespotism.Thisultimatelyledtothedynasty'sdecline
andwidespreadchaos.KingZhou'styrannyincurredtheangerand
resentmentofthecommonpeople,whoeventuallyroseupinrevoltagainsthimunderKingWuofZhou's
leadership.AfterthefalloftheShangdynasty,DajiwasexorcisedbyJiangZiya(akaJiangTaigong)and
diedeventually.

Inpopularculture
TheprimaryantagonistofRyuFujisaki'sMangaseriesHoshinEngi(basedonFengshenYanyi),
Dakki,isbasedonDaji.Sheisa"yokaisennin"saidtohavebeenoriginallyafoxmonster.Inboth
animeandManga,DakkideclaredthatTaikoubou(TaigongWang=JiangZiya)isherrival.
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DajiappearsinKoei'svideogameWarriorsOrochias"DaJi,"Orochi'sstrategistandrighthand
woman.Herdesignincorporatespointed,fuzzyearsandvulpinefeet,alludingtothelegendthatshe
isafoxspirit.InWarriorsOrochi2sheisastrongrivalofTaigongWang,whoistheonewhocan
easilyseethroughherstrategies.Sheisalsotheonewhohad
originallyreleasedOrochitheSerpentKingfromconfinement
(sheisimpliedtohaveoncebeenoneofthe"mystics",the
gameworld'sorganizationofChineseandJapanesesemi
mythicalfigures)becauseshesympathisedwithhim.
Dajiappearsasageneralthatplayerscancontrolinthe
strategygameWarofLegends.
Dajiisalsoseenasoneoftheantagonistsofthelightgun
shootinggameSEGAGoldenGuninthefinalpartofthe

DaJiassheappearsinKoei's
WarriorsOrochi.

Shilitanstage.Inthisgame,Dajitransformsintoamoe
anthropomorphismofByakko.Sheonlyattacksusinghertigertail,whichshethruststowardthe
players.Oneofherlinesinclude"Pleaseacceptmylove...."whichshesaystotheplayersupon
unleashingheartstoblindthem.Shecanalsosummonredarmoredbodyguards(whichisonlyseen
inthefirsthalfofthebossfight),butthesebodyguardsdonotaddeitherplayer'spoints.Shecanalso
create4copiesofherselfinthesecondhalfofthebossfighttoconfusetheplayers.Intheend,Dajiis
defeatedandscreamsoutKingZhou'snameupondissolvingintotheabyss.
Daji/DakkiisfeaturedintheanimeHoozukinoreitetsu(episode9)wheresheisthemostexpensive
courtesaninHumanHell.
HongKong/SouthKoreanfilm"DaJi"betterknowinEnglishas"TheLastWomanofShang"(1964)
directedbyChoiInhyeonandYuehFengproposesunusualviewofthetitlecharacter(playedby
LindaLinDai)contrastingtotheallabovelistedasaheroinewhodidnothaveactualtastefor
killingandtorturebutwasencouragingKingZhouforsuchactivitiesinordertodestroyhis
kingdom/pushthenationtooverthrowhimtorestoretherightfuldynasty.

Seealso
BoyiKao
JadePipa
JiutouZhijiJing
NuWa
Femmefatale

References
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FengshenYanyiscattered(Chapter2)
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