On the table, he put his beloved wife’s favourite fruits and sweets, and he burned incense which he would send his good wishes and love to his wife living alone and lonely in the Palace of the Moon. So he asked the maids to set up a table in the garden where he and Chang E used to spend happy times together. There seemed to be no hope at all for him ever to catch up with the moon. When he went backwards three steps, the moon also went backwards three steps. But when he walked forward three steps, the moon also moved forward three steps. He was surprised to find that the moon was especially bright and shining that night and he thought he could see a moving figure that looked so much like Chang E. With a broken heart, Hou Yi looked up at the night sky, calling out loud his wife's name. Angry and desperate, Hou Yi looked for Peng Meng, meaning to kill him straightaway, but he couldn’t find that villain anywhere. When Hou Yi returned home from hunting, the maid told him what had happened. Chang E had become an immortal, but she could never be with her husband again. No human lived there but a rabbit with a lovely name the Jade Rabbit so Chang E was all alone, but she chose it because it was the closest place to the earth she could find in the heavens. Immediately Chang E rose above the ground, flew out of the window and ascended all the way to the sky! But Chang E missed her husband so much that she chose to live in the Palace of the Moon. Chang E knew she could not fight with Peng Meng so, all of sudden she smashed the jewellery box, took out the elixir and swallowed it down. Then, with his sword in his hand, Peng Meng went to Chang E’s chamber and forced her to hand over the elixir. Three days later, Hou Yi went on a hunting expedition with his followers, but Peng Meng pretended to be unwell and stayed behind. Unfortunately, Peng Meng learned about this and decided to steal the elixir to become immortal himself. Chang E hid it in her jewellery box on her dressing table. However, Hou Yi could not bear the thought of leaving his beautiful wife alone on the earth. Drinking this elixir would make mortals into immortal gods who would live in the heavens with the other Gods. One day Hou Yi was given a packet of immortal elixir by the Empress of the Heavens, Emperor Jade’s wife at a regular party the Empress threw for heros on the earth. However, their happiness invited jealousy from one of Hou Yi’s disciples, Peng Meng, who plotted to destroy Hou Yi and his family. The couple loved each other affectionately and lived happily together. He married a beautiful and kind-hearted lady named Chang E. Many young men came to learn the martial arts from him and he was happy to teach them his archery and hunting skills. Hou Yi’s great deed made him famous and well respected and widely admired by the people. Hou Yi features in our story Big Red Roosterfor the coming Year of the Rooster in 2017. The Emperor Jade, Lord of the Heavens, ordered Hou Yi to shoot nine of the suns out of the sky and order the last sun to rise and shine to give back the people a normal life. At this hard time, a warrior named Hou Yi took pity on the suffering of the people. The weather was so hot that all the crops withered and people were dying from hunger. In very ancient times there used to be ten suns in the sky. You can find Nong Yu’s story in our book Dragon Tales: Stories of Chinese Dragon. The second one is a happy story about a princess called Nong Yu. The first one is a bit sad and is about a lady called Chang E. We have selected two beautiful legends from the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. < Back to Festivals Mid-Autumn Festival Legends
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