(Written by a Beijing Teenager in Her First Year in America)
When I was very young, I loved looking at the night sky. I was fascinated with the tiny stars twinkling in the darkness and every now and then I'd be lucky and see one of them fall and a streak of light appear trailing downward.
It was the moon, however, that captivated me. The first thing I'd look for in the sky was the shape of the moon, as it seemed to change as the nights went by, and sometimes there was a mysterious shadow across it. I still don't know for sure what causes that shadow, but I've heard folk tales about it in China where I was born. There are so many that I've taken parts of each to make up this story:
Thousands of years ago, there were ten suns in the sky. They were considered to be God's ten sons, but they made everyone unhappy, as it was too hot to work and the corn that everyone needed to eat didn't grow.
Hou Yi wanted to solve the problem for everyone, and as he was an excellent marksman, he decided to shoot nine of the suns. He thought that made sense, as only one was needed.
The supreme God in heaven heard this and was very angry. That was very understandable for no one wants to have even one son killed.
The God of the Harvest, however, was in favor of the plan, as he wanted good crops for the people. He told Yi to be very careful while shooting down the suns and gave him a package of magic powder to use if he felt that his life was in danger. Swallowing the powder would change him into a God and make it possible for him to escape to the moon.
When Yi went home, he told his wife about his plan and the magic powder and then fell asleep. His wife, Chang E., however coudn't sleep all night long. She wondered if she would enjoy life with just one sun. She thought of dreadful things that might happen to her husband while he was shooting the suns. She worried that taking the magic powder might not be good for him. Her eyes just wouldn't close as thoughts like those raced through her mind.
Yi left their home early the next day and went out to shoot the suns. Chang E was so distressed about the future that she looked all over the house for the magic powder. When she found it, she put most of it in her mouth and swallowed it.
When Yi arrived home, he was shocked to see his wife floating high above him, and as she rose even higher it was obvious that she was leaving and would never return. They both burst into tears and just as she was disappearing from view he could faintly hear her last words that sounded like "R e m e m ber M e e e e......"
While all this was happening, the pet rabbit ate the remaining powder, rose through the air, and joined his mistress on her way to the moon.
The day after the two of them left, there was a cool wind over the land, as only one sun remained, and everything was peaceful again in the village. Yi missed his wife and had to be consoled by the fact that the dark shadow on the moon was caused by her presence there. As time passed, he grew to be satisfied with looking at it, as that told him she was alive and well.
One would think that the moon would be a desolate place for a woman to live, but Chang E was never lonely; the pet rabbit was a good friend and made moon cakes for her every day. She'll probably never be forgotten for every year at the Mid-Autumn Festival everyone in China looks above to see if she's all right, and we all eat moon cakes, too.
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EDITOR'S NOTES
I like that version of the story because of the ending. It's sad that Chang E and Yi live in different places, but there is a resolution to the problem, as he can keep her in his thoughts by gazing at the moon, and everyone in the country joins him in that activity at least once a year.
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VERSION TWO had Chang E and Hou Yi living as immortals in heaven where a Jade Emperor has 10 sons. When they're suddenly transformed into 10 suns that scorch the earth, he appeals to Hou Yi for help and nine of the suns are killed. That solves the heat problem on earth but displeases the emperor who banishes Chang E and Hou Yi from heaven. They are condemned to live on earth.
Chang E is miserable there and so Hou Yi searches everywhere for a pill that will give them immortality again. He finally meets the Queen Mother of the West who gives him the pill but warns him that only half of it should be taken.
Hou Yi stores the pill in a container hidden in their home and tells Chang E never to look for it. But one day when he is away she becomes so curious that she finds the container and accidentally takes the whole pill. When Yi returns, she is starting to float through the air because of the overdose. He wants to shoot her down, but can't bring himself to do it and she floats on to the moon.
Though she is lonely there, she has a jade rabbit as company, and he manufactures elixirs to keep her happy.
She also has a companion - Wu Gang - who is a woodcutter. He has offended the gods and been told that he can leave the moon if he cuts down a tree that grows there. The only problem is that every time he cuts it, it immediately grows right back so he is condemned to live on the moon for eternity.
As time passes, Chang E becomes the Moon Goddess, and when she looks down at earth she is dismayed at the actions of a very cruel and tyrannical emperor who sits on the throne. To help the people, she allows herself to be reborn into the mortal world. She's aware that the emperor is trying to find the elixir of life and is demanding the formula from people he brings before him. One by one, as they admit they didn't know how to find everlasting life, he has them executed.
While this is going on, Chang E meets Guan Yin, the Goddess of Compassion, who gives her the magic elixir the emperor has been looking for, and she takes it immediately to him. He is very suspicious and demands that she taste it first. When she shows no ill effects, the emperor swallows the rest of it and promptly dies.
Chang's mission on earth is therefore complete and she leaves the mortal world and ascends again to the moon to take her rightful place as a goddess.
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That version - with its emphasis on finding the secret of living forever has a strong appeal. Chang E's ability to move back and forth between heaven and the earth must have made her life interesting, but one sympathizes with Wu Gang's plight. He really didn't want to be in that far off place.
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A THIRD VERSION has been made into a present day movie. The facts have been substantially altered, as so often happens when stories reach the silver screen. Though aspects of a folk tale remain, there's a very modern twist.
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At the beginning of the story, Chang E is a fairy in the Guang Han Palace on the moon. One day she sneaks down to earth where she meets a talented archer - Hou Yi - and the two fall in love. The Heavenly Empress discovers the liaison and as punishment, converts Chang E into a human being. She is told that her task is to help Hou serve the interests of the people.
The God of the River is outraged when Chang E marries Hou. He had always thought that she would be his wife, and the marriage makes him so angry that he wages war by flooding the land. In their struggle, Hou shoots at a magic tree and the nine golden turtles that are released become nine suns in the sky causing serious droughts.
Chang E then pleads with the Heavenly Empress for some magic arrows that Hou can use to shoot down the extra suns. After he manages to do so, he becomes king and has overwhelming support from the people.
After he ascends the throne, however, he becomes cruel and corrupt. He wages wars on neighboring kingdoms and launches extensive construction projects. His people experience extreme misery and hardship.
Chang E is so displeased when she tries to reform him without success that she takes a magic pill the Heavenly Empress has given her and returns to the moon.
Though their differences aren't resolved before her flight, heavenly forces may have intervened to end the marriage for at the end of the story Hou is killed in a rebellion led by his archery student Feng Meng.
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Which version of the story do you like? You comments are welcome.
There are many more versions. Send them in and we'll publish them right here.