chang'e

The Chinese goddess who lives on the moon in Chinese mythology. Her husband is Hou Yi, a legendary archer.

According to Chinese myth, Yi once shot down nine of the ten suns and saved all people on the earth. But his solution invoked divine wrath and they lost their immortality. Yi managed to get an elixir of life from Xi Wangmu, a Chinese goddess. However, instead of sharing the elixir with him to become immortal again, Chang'e swallowed the entire pill and ascended magically to the moon. Unfortunately, she was not able to reach the celestial world. The reason varies according to several variations of the story. In the most popular version she tried not to be robbed of the elixir by Feng Meng, Yi's evil pupil. In any case, she is suffering from loneliness even now. She has a moon rabbit, called 玉兎 (Yutu, lit. Jade rabbit), making the elixir or various herbal medicines on the moon.

After her ascension, Yi took the food liked by Chang'e to an altar and offered it as a sacrifice for her. The legend is regarded as the origins of the mid autumn celebration.

In the Touhou series, Chang'e is kept prisoner in the Lunar Capital. In Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom it is revealed that Junko, Houyi's original wife, has a grudge against her.

See also

• moon rabbit
• mooncake
• Wu Gang - the woodcutter living on the moon.

External links

• Wikipedia: Chang'e