Chinese Myth: Chang'e Flew to the Moon

Houyi (Chinese name: 后羿, Pinyin: hòu yì) and Chang'e (Chinese name: 嫦娥, Pinyin: cháng é) were husband and wife, they were immortals living in Heavenly Palace (Chinese name: 天宫, Pinyin: tiān gōng) in the sky together with other deities. Houyi is a legendary archer, he angered the Tiandi (Supreme God, Chinese name: 天帝, Pinyin: tiān dì) by slaying nine of the ten suns whom Tiandi only wanted Houyi to expel. To punish Houyi, Tiandi demoted Hou Yi and his wife to mortal and drove them out of Heavenly Palace. Houyi and Chang'e become mortal and would grow old and eventually die like ordinary people.

The once perfect couple started to quarrel everyday. Chang'e blamed Houyi for all the unfortunate events. Houyi was very upset, the fact that they would grow old and die worried him the most, he would do whatever he could to make things right.

Houyi heard that Xiwangmu (Chinese name: 西王母, Pinyin: xī wáng mǔ) had the elixir of eternal life, he left immediately to the Kunlun Mountain in the west to ask for the potion. After crossing the deep water which even lightest feather sinks and the mountain with blazing fire, Houyi reached his destination and met Xiwangmu.

Xiwangmu knew the reason Houyi was there, she praised what Houyi had done to save the people and didn't think he deserved what he got. Xiwangmu generously handed over the last elixir of eternal life to Houyi and told him that he and his wife could stay young forever by sharing the elixir, she also added that one could become immortal and fly to Heavenly Palace by taking all the elixir.

Houyi thanked and bid farewell to Xiwangmu, he brought the last elixir home and shared the good news with Chang'e. Houyi wanted to live happily forever with his beloved wife in the mortal world, he decided to take the elixir of eternal life with Chang'e on a well chosen auspicious day. However Chang'e was missing the life in Heavenly Palace, she believed all the sufferings were caused by her husband and she had the right to take all the elixir alone, becoming immortal and going back to Heavenly Palace as compensation.

Chang'e took all the elixir of eternal life at one quiet night when Houyi was away, right away her body became so light that she floated in the air and started flying towards Heavenly Palace. However Chang'e hesitated when she could finally see the place she had been missing so much from distance, she realized that her selfish act would make her shunned by other deities. Chang'e felt ashamed and decided not to go Heavenly Palace, she changed her direction and flew to the Moon Palace (Chinese name: 月宫, Pinyin: yuè gōng) on the moon and stayed there, accompanied by the only moon native, the Jade Hare (Chinese name: 玉兔, Pinyin: yù tù).