Xin Rong

“Tell my mother I’m sorry.”

―Xin Rong^[src]

Xin Rong was the Slayer active during the Boxer Rebellion in Chine, until she was killed by the vampire Spike.

Biography

“Become a vampire, there’s nothing to fear. Nothing but one girl. That’s you, honey. Back then… It was her.”

―Spike^[src]

On June 18, 1900, the Whirlwind had gone to Peking (Beijing), China during the Boxer Rebellion; Spike would describe he was obsessed with Slayers, and sought Xin Rong out to fight her. She and Spike fought in a Buddhist temple, and Xin Rong managed to give him a permanent scar over his left eyebrow with her sword.^[1]

Highly skilled in armed combat, the Slayer had the vampire pinned up against a wall, ready to stake him, but an explosion outside the temple rocked the building and she lost control of the situation. Spike was able to knock her stake from her hand, catch her, and bite her neck. When Buffy Summers questioned him how did he kill Xin Rong, he explained: “Lesson the first: a Slayer must always reach for her weapon. I've already got mine.”^[1]

Xin Rong’s last dying words were, in Chinese: “Tell my mother I’m sorry.” (trad. 告訴我媽媽對不起 simp. 告诉我妈妈对不起), to which Spike replied: “Sorry love, I don’t speak Chinese.” He threw her in the ground and left her body in the temple,^[1] having killed the first of two Slayers that would give him notoriety as a Slayer hunter.^[2]

In 2004, when Spike fought the psychotic Slayer Dana, she initially addressed him in Chinese, as her Slayer knowledge had “filled in the blanks” of her traumatized mind. She drawn on Xin Rong’s memories of her fight with Spike, causing him to initially assume that Dana was possessed by a Chinese demon, until Angel discovered the truth.^[3]

Powers and Abilities

As the Slayer, Xin Rong presented enhanced powers for a human (strength, speed, reflexes, healing, stamina) and the psychic connection with the Slayer line. She also demonstrated highly developed combat skills, both armed with a sword, and unarmed martial arts.

Behind the Scenes

She was portrayed by Ming Qiu, the actress and stuntwoman who also portrayed a newly activated Slayer in the series finale "Chosen".
The Slayer’s name was never addressed, except in the dubious canon comic Spike and Dru: All's Fair, which identified her as Xin Rong. In the episode "Fool for Love", she’s simply credited as “Chinese Slayer”.