According to legend, during the reign of Emperor Yao in ancient times, the climate between heaven and earth was stable, everything was orderly, the people lived and worked in peace, and the world was peaceful. I don't know when, but suddenly the ten suns in the sky no longer take turns guarding, but hang high together in the sky. The warm sunshine of the past suddenly became scorching and dazzling, scorching the earth day and night, causing mountains and rivers to dry up, vegetation to wither and burn, rivers to dry up, and fields to crack. All the crops in the fields have withered and died, birds and animals in the mountains and forests are fleeing everywhere, and the human heat wave is raging, leaving no grass growing. The common people are suffering greatly, struggling every day in the scorching heat and drought, howling everywhere and struggling to make ends meet.
Just as the world was on the brink of despair, a towering hero emerged, and he was Hou Yi. Hou Yi was born with divine power and exceptional martial arts skills. With a heart full of righteousness and kindness, he witnessed the suffering of millions of people under the scorching sun, and his heart was filled with compassion. He was determined to step forward and save the people from the fire and water. In order to quell natural disasters and save the world, Hou Yi traveled day and night, crossing thousands of mountains and reaching the summit of the towering mountains over the East China Sea. He stood tall with his head held high, gazing at the sky, holding a giant bow that shook the heavens, carrying a white feathered divine arrow, and watching the ten scorching suns raging in the sky, resolutely pulling the long bow.
The bowstring trembled, the sharp arrow pierced through the air, and a whistling sound pierced through the long sky.
Hou Yi's gaze was firm, his arrows flawlessly fired. One after another, divine arrows shot straight into the sky, continuously shooting down nine raging suns. The scorching sun in the sky falls one by one, the heat between heaven and earth gradually fades away, the strong winds and heat waves quietly subside, and the mountains, rivers, and earth slowly regain vitality. Finally, Hou Yi deliberately left a sun hanging in the sky, rising and setting in the morning and evening, illuminating all things and bringing light and warmth to the world, maintaining the cycle of time and the growth of all things.
From then on, the drought in the world was completely lifted, the mountains and rivers revived, the vegetation was reborn, the wind and rain were smooth, and the crops were abundant. The displaced people have returned to their homes, and the world has once again regained peace and harmony.
Hou Yi's heroic act of shooting the sun to save the world spread throughout the four seas and eight wastelands. The people of the world were grateful and remembered him, and they all revered him as a hero of salvation.
Hou Yi's achievements in quelling natural disasters and benefiting the people alarmed the gods of the heavenly realm. The Queen Mother of the West, who resides in the Kunlun fairyland, was grateful for his global aspirations and great achievements, and specially gifted him a package of the peerless elixir of immortality. This medicine condenses the aura of heaven and earth, the essence of the sun and the moon, and is very precious. Legend has it that if ordinary people take half a dose, they can prolong their lives and prevent various diseases from invading; If you take a whole dose, you can transform yourself, ascend to the ninth heaven, rank in the immortal class, and live forever.
After Hou Yi obtained the elixir, he had no joy of ascending to immortality in his heart. He lived an open and sincere life, and the one he cared most about was his gentle, kind, virtuous, and gentle wife Chang'e.
The couple has a deep and affectionate relationship, supporting each other through thick and thin, and has always been together through wind and rain. Hou Yi did not want to ascend to the heavens alone, abandon his beloved wife, nor did he want to abandon the human fireworks and stay away from the common people. So he solemnly handed over this precious elixir to his wife Chang'e for safekeeping, intending to find an opportunity to find a way of both worlds and spend the rest of their lives with her.
Chang'e has a gentle appearance, a pure and kind heart, and is gentle and virtuous. She is diligent and frugal in managing the household, and treats people gently, earning the respect of her neighbors. She was well aware of the preciousness of this package of elixirs and understood her husband's intentions. She carefully kept the elixirs at home, took good care of them day and night, and never had any greed.
The couple thought they could live a peaceful life together, but they never expected a sudden change to happen.
After Hou Yi gained widespread fame, many young people came to him to learn martial arts under his tutelage. Among the many disciples, there is a disciple named Peng Meng who is talented but narrow-minded, greedy, selfish, and harboring evil thoughts. He had already heard about the Western Queen Mother's gift of medicine and had been secretly coveting the elixir of immortality for a long time. He had been secretly waiting for an opportunity to seize it, hoping to take the medicine alone and become an immortal, enjoying the blessings of immortality.
One day, Hou Yi led a group of disciples on a hunting expedition and practicing martial arts, leaving only Chang'e at home. Peng Meng sensed that the time was ripe and pretended to stay behind. After everyone had left, he immediately held a sharp blade and broke into the inner room, showing a fierce expression, forcing Chang'e to hand over the elixir of immortality.
Chang'e is a woman who is unarmed and powerless to resist the fierce and violent Peng Meng. At the critical moment, she knew very well in her heart that once the elixir fell into the hands of evil people, it would surely breed trouble and harm the world. In order to prevent the elixir from being stolen by evil people, not to disappoint her husband's trust, and not to let the people suffer disasters due to the wicked gaining enlightenment, Chang'e made the most resolute choice under all circumstances. She resolutely took out the precious elixir and swallowed it all into her stomach.
The elixir enters the abdomen and takes effect instantly. In an instant, Chang'e felt light and clear all over her body, gradually lifting herself off the ground and rising slowly. Pengmeng was shocked and angry at the situation, but it was too late to stop him. Chang'e's body rose higher and higher, passing through the courtyard, gliding over the clouds, and flying towards the distant night sky.
Chang'e is concerned about her husband and does not want to fly to the distant nine heavens, far away from her homeland. She yearns for her earthly home and her beloved, and ultimately chooses to stay in the closest and brightest moon palace to the human world. From then on, I lived alone in the cold and desolate Guanghan Palace, accompanied by laurel trees and jade rabbits, gazing at my homeland from afar every night.
When Hou Yi returned, the sky was gradually getting late, the courtyard was empty, and people had gone to empty houses. He disappeared without a trace of his wife and suddenly became flustered. After questioning his neighbors, he learned about the incident that had occurred during the day. Upon learning that his beloved wife was using the elixir to protect the immortal and had no choice but to flee to the moon, Hou Yi was devastated and heartbroken. He looked up at the vast night sky, a bright and clear moon, even more perfect and bright than before.
He could faintly see the graceful figure in the moon palace, which was his wife Chang'e whom he had been longing for day and night.
From then on, every night when the moon was bright and the stars were sparse, Hou Yi would stand in the courtyard, sigh at the moon, and express endless longing. The people are grateful for Chang'e's kindness, righteousness, and selflessness, sympathize with her loneliness living alone in the Moon Palace, and also appreciate Hou Yi's kindness in saving the world and protecting the people. In order to send their longing and pray for peace from afar, the people have set up fresh fruits and pastries under the moon, wishing Chang'e in the Moon Palace peace and prosperity from afar, and also praying for peace in the world and family reunion every year.
The ancients observed celestial phenomena and found that among the four seasons of the year, only the moon on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month is the most complete, bright, and flawless. At this time, it is the mid autumn season, with clear autumn air, fragrant osmanthus, mature everything, and abundant fruits.
It is the most complete and abundant season of the year. Later generations remembered the sad and beautiful legend of Chang'e flying to the moon, and combined with the beautiful implication of a full moon and a round person, they designated the 15th day of August as the Mid-Autumn Festival.
