Wu Gan, a native of XiheCounty of the Han Dynasty (206-220AD) attained immortality and enter heaven where he was an apprentice to an immortal.  As mentioned in version of IV of Why the Moon Has a Shadow, one day he made a mistake, and as punishment, his master sent him to the moon to do strenuous but useless manual labor.

          Legend tells us that in front of the Guanghan Palace on the moon, there is a cherry bay that has grown exuberantly to a height of more than 500 zhang (about 1650 meters).  Under that tree, Wu Gan works to try to cut it down with an ax.  However, every time he cuts it down, the tree immediately springs back to life.  It remains there in spite of man's relentless efforts to bring it down over thousands of years.

          That is another story associated with the Mid-autumn Festival.