Mooncake Festival Folklore
And there are those who believe there is a beautiful woman on the moon. The lovely Chang-O, who lived during the Hsia dynasty (2205-1766 BCE) was married to the great General Hou-Yi of the Imperial Guard. This General Hou was a skilled archer. One day, at the behest of the emperor, he shot down eight of nine suns that had mysteriously appeared in the heaven. His marksmanship was richly rewarded by the emperor and he became very famous. However, the people feared that these suns would appear again to torture them and dry up the planet, so they prayed to the Goddess of Heaven, Wang Mu, to make General Hou immortal so that he could always defend the emperor, his progeny and the country. Their wish was granted and General Hou was given a Pill of Immortality.
Chang-O grabbed the pill and fled to the moon. (Sometimes it's uncertain whether she ever actually got there, because Chinese operas always portray her as still flying toward the moon). When Chang-O reached the moon, she found a tree and a friendly hare sitting under it. Chang-O decided to pound the pill into small pieces and scatter them on Earth so that everyone could be immortal. She ordered the hare to pound the pill,then built a palace for herself. She remains on the moon to this day. The helpful hare is found in Chinese mythology as the Jade Hare.
You will see today, stamped on every mooncake, every mooncake box, and every Moon Cake Festival poster, the beautiful Chang-O.
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