Hong Meiling
Hong Meiling is a character who first appeared as the stage 3 boss in Touhou Koumakyou ~ the Embodiment of Scarlet Devil, the sixth installment of the Touhou Project series. She is a humanoid youkai serving Remilia Scarlet, the mistress of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, and acts as the estate's primary gatekeeper. Exceptionally skilled in Chinese martial arts, she combines physical prowess with range of techniques. In addition to guarding the gates, she is tasked with maintaining the mansion's flower garden.
Overview
Hong Meiling is a character who first appeared as the stage 3 boss in Touhou Koumakyou ~ the Embodiment of Scarlet Devil, the sixth installment of the Touhou Project series. She is a humanoid youkai serving Remilia Scarlet, the mistress of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, and acts as the estate's primary gatekeeper. Exceptionally skilled in Chinese martial arts, she combines physical prowess with range of techniques. In addition to guarding the gates, she is tasked with maintaining the mansion's flower garden.
Appearance
Meiling is a tall female with waist-length straight red hair, features braids at the sides of her head tied with ribbons, and has bluish-gray eyes. She wears a predominantly green outfit resembling a hybrid of traditional Chinese attire and a cheongsam. Her garments include a long skirt with side slits—sometimes paired with long white trousers underneath—and a green cap ornamented with a star-shaped emblem inscribed with the Chinese character for dragon.
Personality
Meiling possesses a calm, polite, and genial disposition. Unlike many aggressive youkai, she does not attack peaceful visitors without cause and often engages in friendly conversation with humans, serving as a welcoming face for the Scarlet Devil Mansion. While somewhat laid-back—enjoying morning tai chi and occasional daytime naps—she takes her duty seriously, treating superiors and colleagues like Sakuya Izayoi with formal respect.
Abilities
She possesses the ability to manipulate qi. This power allows her to harness internal energy and aura into visible forms, utilizing it to fly and release danmaku projectiles. In battle, she uses a balanced combat style combining vibrant, rainbow-colored bullet patterns with direct hand-to-hand martial arts. Additionally, her dragon head ornament provides a temporary protective effect that prevents staggering from incoming attacks.
Background
Her precise history and true identity as a youkai remain wrapped in mystery, though subtle dialogue hints that she may have lived for thousands of years. Unclear whether she represents a specific localized spirit, dragon-related entity, or distinct species, she settled at the Scarlet Devil Mansion where she enjoys stable lodging in exchange for her faithful service as its guardian and caretaker.
Relationships
She reports directly to her master, Remilia Scarlet, and interacts with Remilia's younger sister, Flandre Scarlet. She maintains a formal, polite relationship with the head maid, Sakuya Izayoi, working alongside her in managing the estate. She also interacts regularly with martial artists seeking challenges and opponents like Hakurei Reimu and Kirisame Marisa.
Trivia
Due to discussions surrounding the reading of her name's kanji characters, she earned the prominent fan nickname 'China' during her early depictions. Her primary musical themes include 'Shanghai Alice of Meiji 17' and 'Shanghai Teahouse ~ Chinese Tea'.
