Chang-e’s Ascent to the Moon Chang-e is the lunar goddess in Chinese traditional myths. In China, she is a widely known character. She is known as a very beautiful woman who is living alone in a palace in the moon called “Guanghan Palace”. Her story is one of the most famous tragedies in Chinese myths. Recently there are several “retold” versions of the story of Chang-e’s ascent to the moon in different media. In 2010, there was a teleplay named “Chang-e” that told about the love story of Chang-e, Houyi, Wugang and Jade Rabbit. In the retold story, the relationship of these four persons is very complicated at the beginning. Later on, Houyi falls in love with Chang-e and Wugang is in love to Jade Rabbit. They try to start their new lives happily. However, a great flood troubles people, and it can be only resolved by Chang-e. The Jade Emperor gives 2 pills to Houyi and Chang-e but one of the 2 pills is destroyed and exchanged a fake one by a scoundrel. Houyi eats the fake pill when he knows this since he wants Chang-e to float to the moon and control the tides, so that she can stop the disaster. At the end, Chang-e floats to the moon alone. Jade Rabbit sympathizes with Chang-e so she also floats to the moon to accompany her. The 2 couples are both separated. There are several versions of the ancient myth about Chang-e. But the most famous one is from the book “huainanzi”. Chang-e is Houyi’s wife. Houyi gets elixir from Xiwangmu (the Western Queen Mother), and give it to his wife to store. When Houyi is going out to hunt, his student Fengmeng try to steal it but he is discovered by Chang-e. When he wants to kill Chang-e, she swallows the elixir and floats to the moon. Houyi is very angry when he backs home and Fengmeng has already fled. Houyi feels sad and miss Chang-e, so he prepares some fruits and cakes Chang-e likes as sacrifices to worship. The Mother of Moon shows mercy and allows them to meet in the night with full moon. People believe Chang-e has become the goddess of moon after hearing of the story, so they follow Houyi and pray to her. This is the origin of worship to Chang-e on Mid-Autumn Festival. Although there are many myths in ancient China, Chang-e’s story becomes one of the most famous. People have retold it for thousands of years. It is because of the “Yin Yang” culture in China. “Yin” means negative, dark, cold or female, etc. Chinese people believe the moon belongs to “Yin”, and it is the most “Yin” thing in the universe. Also, Chinese people think the moon is beautiful but lonely and cold because of the nature of Yin. So, people believed that the deity of the moon should be also beautiful, female and alone. In the story, Chang-e is a young and very beautiful woman. Her image fits people’s thinking of the moon. Her husband Houyi is a hero with great power and good at archery. He shot down 9 suns. Although these two persons are nearly perfect, their love story is a tragedy. People always remember those sad and beautiful love stories. This is the reason why tragedies are always retold again and again. Also, Chinese think that the wanes and full of the moon hint the parting and meeting of families or lovers. As the great poet Su Shi said, “People have sorrow and joy, they part and meet again and again. There are wanes and full of the moon, it is sometimes covered and it sometimes shines. These are always regrets since the olden days.” This impression fits the situation of Chang-e and Houyi. They are separated but still can meet in the night with full moon. On another hand, ancient Chinese were very curious about the moon. They thought the moon was beautiful but mysterious, and they always imaged the nature and story of the moon, and tried to get some ideas to go to the moon. From a long time ago, there are so many literary works talking about the moon. Ancient Chinese reposed their thinking on the story of Chang-e’s ascent to the moon, and retell the myth again and again. The popularity of the story of Chang-e shows ancient Chinese people’s eagerness and willingness to explore the moon. Even though they had no abilities to go to the moon, they tried to pass the idea to posterity, and that really comes true recently. In the past several decades, the space flight technology has developed significantly. Nowadays, it allows humans to go onto the moon already. In 2007, the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP) was launched, and the program is also named “Chang-e Program”. The lunar orbiters and lunar landers launched in this program are all named “Chang-e 1”, “Chang-e 2”, etc. The naming of the program and orbiters and landers hints that the Chinese people’s dream of going to the moon finally comes true. Chinese people can finally set foot on the moon back like the lunar goddess, Chang-e. In contemporary China, the influence of the story of Chang-e still exists in other aspects. The story is retold again and again in different media, such as films, teleplay and cartoons, etc. It is even included in Chinese primary students’ textbooks. Furthermore, many people still keep the tradition of worship to Chang-e on the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, when the moon is said to be largest, and Chang-e can hear the pray of people. People will prepare moon cakes and fresh fruits as sacrifices to the lunar goddess, as what Houyi did many centuries before. This tradition shows Chinese people’s mind does not change among thousands of years. Chinese know that the parting and meeting of people are unchangeable, just like the nature principle that the moon wanes and becomes full, moves in circles. Therefore, on the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, people recall their family, friends or lovers. The olds hope their children and grandchildren can be with them to celebrate the festival and view the full moon together. And in the night, adults will tell the story of Chang-e to the children, and introduce the culture of Mid-Autumn Festival. The story is retold again and again, and passed to the posterity. Even though those family members has left hometown, they will try their best to back home before the festival to celebrate with the family. In the night with full moon, they pray to the lunar goddess for reunions of members of family. People are eager for “Yuan”. In Chinese, the word “Yuan” means the shape of circle and also the reunion of members of family. On the Mid-Autumn Festival, people always pray for “Yuan” of both the moon and family. Even though the myth of Chang-e’s ascent to the moon has more and more retold version since people’s different interest in different times, the culture of it will never change. Chinese people will keep the core value of “Yuan”, as well as other Chinese traditional core value.
References
1. Wen Yu溫雲, (2010) ‘電視劇《嫦娥》正在播出 姚笛版嫦娥有情有義’, Enorth.com. Retrieved from http://ent.enorth.com.cn/system/2010/11/23/005412956.shtml
2. Gao You高誘. Huainanzi Explanation 淮南子注.Worldbook Taiwan, 1965.
3. Jiang Pei Ying江培英, 300 Song Poems 宋詞三百首. Thread-Blinding Books Publishing House, 2003.
4. Liu Zhi Qing柳志卿, (2007) ‘“嫦娥一號”發射時間確定 但未到公佈時機’,Xinhuanet. Retrieved from http://news3.xinhuanet.com/tech/2007-07/07/content_6340313.htm

--------------------------------------------
[ 1 ]. 2010 version directed by Liang Kai Cheng and Su Yuan Feng.
[ 2 ]. Huainanzi (淮南子) is a book wrote in Dynasty Han talking about the concept of Daoist.
[ 3 ]. 《淮南子‧外八篇》： 羿請不死之藥于西王母，托與妲娥。逢蒙往而竊之，竊之不成，欲加害妲娥。娥無以為計，吞不死藥以升天。然不忍離羿而去，滯留月宮。廣寒寂寥，悵然有喪，無以繼之，遂催吳剛伐桂，玉兔搗藥，欲配飛升之藥，重回人間焉。 羿聞娥奔月而去，痛不欲生。月母感念其誠，允娥于月圓之日與羿會于月桂之下。民間有聞其竊竊私語者眾焉。
[ 4 ]. Su shi (蘇軾), a great Chinese poet in Dynasty Sung. One of the most famous poets which are talking about the moon is “Shuidiaogetou” wrote by him.
[ 5 ]. 蘇軾《水調歌頭》：人有悲歡離合 月有陰晴圓缺 此事古難全