Chang'e and the Moon - Chinese

My name is Chang'e, and from my palace of cool jade, I watch the world turn below. It may seem quiet and lonely up here, but I was once a mortal woman living on a very different Earth, a time when ten blazing suns hung in the sky, scorching the land and making life nearly impossible. My beloved husband, the heroic archer Hou Yi, saved humanity by bravely shooting down nine of them with his mighty bow, and for this incredible deed, the Queen Mother of the West gave him a truly magnificent gift. This is the story of that gift, a terrifying choice I had to make, and how I came to be the lady in the moon; it is the myth of Chang'e.

That special gift was a single, shimmering potion—an elixir that would allow one person to live forever among the gods as an immortal. Can you imagine having such a powerful choice? Hou Yi, my dear husband, couldn't bear the thought of becoming a god without me, so we decided to hide the elixir in a wooden case, promising each other we would live out our lives and grow old together. But our secret was not safe. One of Hou Yi's archery students, a jealous and greedy man named Peng Meng, had overheard us. He coveted the elixir's power for himself. On the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, while my husband was away on a long hunt, Peng Meng burst into our home, his sword gleaming dangerously. "Give me the elixir!" he demanded. I stood between him and our hidden treasure, my heart pounding like a drum. I knew I could never let such a cruel person become immortal. With no other choice, and with Peng Meng advancing on me, I rushed to the case, seized the bottle, and drank every last drop myself. Instantly, a strange feeling washed over me. My body felt as light as a dandelion seed caught in the wind. I began to float, lifting off the floor, up past the ceiling, and away from my home, my garden, and my beloved Hou Yi. I drifted uncontrollably through the clouds, reaching for the world below, until I landed here, on the cold, silent surface of the moon.

When Hou Yi returned from his hunt, he found our home in disarray and me gone. He was utterly heartbroken. Distraught, he ran outside and shouted my name to the vast, dark sky. As he looked up, he was astonished to see that the moon that night was fuller and brighter than he had ever seen it before. And there, in its silvery glow, he could just make out a small, swaying shadow that looked exactly like me. Overcome with grief but filled with a glimmer of hope that I could see him, he quickly arranged a table in our garden. He piled it high with my favorite sweet cakes and fresh fruits, creating an offering to me across the great distance. His loving gesture started a tradition. Now, every year on that same day, which became the Mid-Autumn Festival, families gather together. They look up at the full moon, lay out offerings of round mooncakes and ripe fruit, and pray for family, reunion, and happiness. I am not completely alone here. A gentle Jade Rabbit, who also came to the moon seeking safety, is my constant companion. He pounds special herbs with a mortar and pestle, trying to create another elixir of life. Together, we watch over the world and the people I had to leave behind.

My story has been told for thousands of years, passed down through generations as a tale of love, impossible choices, and the bittersweet feeling of missing someone who is far away. It has inspired countless poets to write beautiful verses about the lonely lady in the moon and artists to paint magnificent scenes of my Jade Palace. This ancient tale has even traveled into the modern world. Today, my name soars through the real stars, as China's entire lunar exploration program is named 'Chang'e' in my honor. So the next time you look up at the bright, full moon, I hope you will think of me and my Jade Rabbit. My story reminds us all that even when people are separated by an impossible distance, they can still be connected by love, memory, and the beautiful, unchanging light of the same moon.