Live Your Myths

Chinese Myth | Chang'e and Houyi

➵ There are several versions of this myth, which are incorporated into this chapter.

➵ Chang'e and Houyi's story has been adapted into the 2020 film, Over the Moon, and in Sue Lynn Tan's upcoming novel, Daughter of the Moon Goddess.

Chang'e and her husband Houyi were immortals living in heaven. One day, the ten sons of the Jade Emperor transform into ten suns, which causes the earth to burn. The Jade Emperor summons Houyi for help after failing to stop his sons from destroying the earth. Houyi uses his legendary archery skills to shoot down nine of the sons, but spares one so that he could be the sun. The Jade Emperor becomes displeased with how he saves the earth, so as punishment, the Jade Emperor banishes Houyi and Chang'e to live as mortals on earth.

Houyi sees that Chang'e is miserable over the loss of her immortality, so he sets out on a journey to find the Pill of Immortality so that they can be immortals again. At the end of this journey, he meets the Queen Mother of the West who agrees to give him the pill, but warns him that each person only needs half of the pill to become immortal.

Houyi returns home with the pill and stores it in a case. He warns Chang'e to not open the case before he leaves home again. Chang'e ultimately becomes too curious and opens the case to discover the pill inside just as Houyi returns home. She becomes nervous that Houyi will catch her with the opened case, so she swallows the entire pill. She overdoses on the pill, causing her to float into the sky. Houyi wanted to shoot her down in order to prevent her from floating further, but he couldn't bear to aim her arrow at her. She continues to float until she lands on the moon.

She becomes lonely on the moon, but she has the jade rabbit, who creates elixirs, who also lives on the moon. In other versions, woodcutter Wu Gang keeps her company.

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Second Version

Chang'e is a beautiful young girl working in the Jade Emperor's palace where immortals, good people, and fairies live. One day, she accidentally breaks a precious porcelain jar, which angers the Jade Emperor. In his fury, he banishes her to live on earth among the mortals. She could only return to heaven if she provided a remarkable service while in the Mortal Realm.

Chang'e is transformed into a member of a rich farming family. When she is eighteen, a young hunter known as Houyi notices her and they become friends.

Later on, a strange phenomenon occurs - ten suns rise in the sky, scorching the earth. Houyi tries to save the earth and successfully shoots down nine of the suns, becoming a hero to the people. He eventually becomes king and marries Chang'e.

However, Houyi becomes greedy and selfish, seeking immortality by ordering that an elixir be created to prolong his life. The elixir is created in the form of a pill and is almost ready when Chang'e discovers it. She swallows the pill, either accidentally or purposely, angering King Houyi. She tries to flee by jumping out the window of a chamber at the top of the palace, but instead of falling, she floats into the sky toward the moon. King Houyi fails to shoot her down with arrows.

Her companion is a rabbit, who doesn't create the elixir of life. She also has a woodcutter for a companion. And so, King Houyi ascends to the sun and builds a palace, so Chang'e and Houyi come to represent yin and yang, the moon and the sun.

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Third Version

Chang'e is a human in the Mortal Realm, working as a palace maid. When suddenly, ten suns appear in the sky and drastically increase the temperature on earth. The king searches for a person with great archery skills to shoot down nine of the suns.

Houyi, a commoner, notices the situation and takes out his arrow to shoot down nine suns with nine arrows. Subsequently, the king rewards him by giving Chang'e to him to marry as Houyi was in love with her. They live happily until a mysterious old man appears and gives Houyi an immortality elixir. Houyi hesitates as he ponders whether he should take the pill, so he leaves it under his pillow.

Chang'e discovers the pill, not knowing what it is. She ends up swallowing it and it transforms her into an immortal. She flies towards the moon, leaving Houyi devastated. He dies soon after. People use lanterns to light up the earth so that Chang'e can see them.

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Alternate Versions

In one retelling of the story of Chang'e and the Elixir of Immortality, Chang'e's decision to consume the elixir is not caused by selfishness or spite; instead, it is caused by fear of Houyi's apprentice, Feng Meng, who attempts to steal the elixir from Chang'e. She consumes the elixir in order to escape him before the elixir can fall into Feng Meng's hands.

➵ Chang'e: Goddess of the Moon.

➵ Jade Emperor: Supreme God of Chinese mythology and Ruler of the Heavens, Earth and the Underworld/Hell, Creator of the Universe, later the Emperor of the Universe, and Lord of the Imperial Court.

➵ Jade Rabbit: a mystical rabbit that makes immortality elixirs.

➵ Queen Mother of the West: a mother goddess.

➵ Woodcutter: Wu Gang (the protagonist in the Chinese woodcutter myth).

➵ Tell us what you thought about this myth in the comments! What is your favorite part? What do you wish was different?

➵ If you could rewrite this story, what would you change?

➵ What was something new you learned from this myth?