Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact

Lore & Background

The series centers on Tushan Honghong, the chief of Tushan, who 700 years ago ended the war between the human race and the spirit clan by killing the powerful Western Regions fox spirit Shi Ji. She saves a human youth named Dongfang Yuechu, who is pursued by his lifelong enemy and raised in Tushan. Together, they spend time in Tushan and fight against evil to bring peace between the fox clan and the human clan.

The main cast includes Yang Mi as Tushan Honghong and Gong Jun as Dongfang Yuechu. Supporting characters include Guo Xiaoting as Tushan Yaya, deputy chief of Tushan and sister to Honghong and Rongrong; Wei Zheming as A Lai; Hu Lianxin as Tushan Rongrong, third chief of Tushan; Wen Zhengrong as Shi Ji, a powerful fox spirit from the Western Regions killed by Honghong; Zhu Xudan as Bu Tai, princess of Spirit Master Kingdom; An Yuexi as Dongfang Qinlan, Yuechu's mother; Han Dong as Wangquan Hongye, head of Yiqi Alliance; Wang Zirui as Dongfang Luo, Yuechu's father; and Feng Xiaotong as Bai Lou. Guest appearances include Liu Shishi as Dongfang Huaizhu, older sister of Dongfang Qinlan.

Reader's Guide

Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact is significant as a television adaptation of the popular Chinese romance comic Fox Spirit Matchmaker, bringing the story of fox spirits and human conflicts to a wider audience. The series features a prominent cast led by Yang Mi and Gong Jun, and its narrative explores themes of peace between species, sacrifice, and romance. The production announcement and boosting ceremony on September 22, 2022, marked the official start of the project. The series contributes to the growing genre of Chinese fantasy romance dramas based on webcomics, and its focus on the fox spirit mythology adds to the cultural tapestry of Chinese folklore in modern media. Its legacy lies in its adaptation of a beloved comic and its potential to introduce new viewers to the source material.

Did You Know?

• The series is based on the Chinese romance comic Fox Spirit Matchmaker painted by Tuo Xiaoxin.
• Yang Mi plays Tushan Honghong, who killed the powerful Western Regions fox spirit Shi Ji 700 years ago to end a war.
• Gong Jun plays Dongfang Yuechu, a human youth raised in Tushan; the leader of the YiQi Alliance is Wangquan Hongye.
• The boosting ceremony for the series was held on September 22, 2022.

From Painted Pages to the Screen

Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact is a Chinese live-action television series that adapts the romance comic Fox Spirit Matchmaker (狐妖小红娘), originally created and painted by Tuo Xiaoxin. The specific installment, subtitled Red-Moon Pact (月红篇), brings the comic's illustrated world into a serialized television format. At its center are two leads: Yang Mi and Gong Jun, who anchor the narrative as the fox spirit and the human youth at the heart of the story. The adaptation translates Tuo Xiaoxin's visual storytelling — her painted panels depicting fox clans, human kingdoms, and the tensions between them — into a performative medium with a full ensemble cast. The series is streamed on iQIYI, one of China's leading digital platforms, and maintains a dedicated presence on Weibo in Chinese, allowing fans to follow updates and engage with the production. By moving from a single artist's comic pages to a multi-actor television production, the project expands the reach of Tuo Xiaoxin's original romance narrative while preserving its core world of spirits and humans navigating conflict and connection.

A Story of Rescue, War, and Fragile Peace

The narrative of Red-Moon Pact orbits a central act of rescue: a fox spirit named Tushan Honghong saves a human youth, Dongfang Yuechu, and the two of them spend time together in Tushan. Their shared existence becomes the stage for a broader struggle — fighting against evil to secure lasting peace between the fox clan and the human clan. Beneath this present-day conflict lies a weighty historical wound. Seven hundred years before the main story, Tushan Honghong ended a devastating war between the human race and the spirit clan by killing the former Tushan chief, Shi Ji. That single act of violence to stop a greater one echoes through the present, shaping the political landscape the characters navigate. The world is populated by distinct factions: the Tushan fox clan with its hierarchy of chiefs, the YiQi Alliance led by Dongfang Yuechu, and the Spirit Master Kingdom with its own royal line. These groups exist in a delicate, often tense equilibrium, and the series' central drama is whether peace can be maintained or whether old enmities will resurface.

An Ensemble Woven Around Two Leads

Yang Mi takes on the role of Tushan Honghong, the chief of Tushan, a figure whose defining historical act was slaying the former chief Shi Ji seven centuries ago to halt the war between humans and spirits. Gong Jun portrays Dongfang Yuechu, a human youth who was pursued by his lifelong enemy and raised within Tushan; he also serves as the leader of the YiQi Alliance. The supporting cast builds a rich family and political web around them. Guo Xiaoting plays Tushan Yaya, the deputy chief and sister to both Honghong and Rongrong, while Hu Lianxin portrays Tushan Rongrong, the third chief and their other sister. Wei Zheming appears as A Lai. Wen Zhengrong embodies Shi Ji, the former chief whose actions ignited the inter-clan war and who was ultimately killed by Honghong. Zhu Xudan plays the Princess of the Spirit Master Kingdom, An Yuexi portrays Dongfang Qinlan (Yuechu's mother), Han Dong is Wangquan Hongye (head of the YiQi Alliance), and Wang Zirui is Bai Lou (Yuechu's father). Liu Shishi makes a guest appearance as Dongfang Huaizhu, Qinlan's older sister and Wangquan Hongye's wife.

Launch, Platform, and Audience Reach

The production's public launch was marked on September 22, 2022, when the main leads and the broader production team were officially announced to the public. A boosting ceremony — a traditional event in Chinese television production to celebrate the start of a project — was held on that very same day, signaling the formal kickoff of the series. The project brought together the source material of Tuo Xiaoxin's painted comic, the star power of Yang Mi and Gong Jun, and a substantial ensemble cast to translate the illustrated world of fox spirits and human kingdoms into a live-action format. For audiences, the series is available for streaming on iQIYI, a major Chinese digital platform, and the production maintains an active social media presence on Weibo in Chinese, where fans can follow behind-the-scenes updates and engage with the cast and crew. The combination of a dedicated streaming home and a social media channel gives the series multiple touchpoints for its audience, from watching the full narrative to following the production's ongoing cultural footprint.