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A long, long time ago, ten suns appeared in the sky at the same time. Their scorching rays dried up all the rivers, and deep cracks split open the farmland. Hou Yi, an archer, slung his bow and arrows over his back and climbed up the towering Kunlun Mountains.
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Hou Yi never wanted to harm any of the suns; he only hoped to bring order back to the sky. He drew his divine bow and shot a warning arrow, then shouted to reason with them. Finally, nine of the suns agreed to rest at the edge of the sky, leaving just one to light up the earth every day.
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Hou Yi's great deeds spread across heaven and earth. The Queen Mother of the West traveled specially to meet him, and gave him a pill of eternal life. She solemnly warned him that the pill was only enough for one person to ascend to the heavenly court, and he must think carefully before using it.
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Hou Yi brought the immortal pill home and left it in the care of his wife, Chang'e. He held his wife's hand and said he could not bear to leave their peaceful life, nor could he bear to be separated from her. The two promised they would only use the pill if they faced real danger.
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Chang'e was a clever woman. She often helped the villagers calculate the lunar calendar by the moon's phases, so they knew when to plant their crops. To keep the pill safe, she found a delicate cypress wood box, carefully tucked the pill inside, and hid the box in a hidden spot on the house's beam.
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As the days passed, Hou Yi and Chang'e spent every day with their fellow villagers: Hou Yi taught the young people of the tribe to shoot bows, while Chang'e led everyone to plant trees and tend the fields. The couple treated the village's affairs as their own, and everyone deeply respected them.
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But one of Hou Yi's apprentices, Feng Meng, had overheard talk of the immortal pill, and a greedy thought took root in his heart. One day, Hou Yi left with the other able-bodied adults of the tribe to go hunting far from home, leaving Chang'e alone in the house. Feng Meng saw his chance.
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Feng Meng stormed into Hou Yi's home, blocked Chang'e's path, and demanded she hand over the immortal pill at once. Chang'e quickly locked the bedroom door, shouting to call the neighbors for help while trying to stall him with words. But Feng Meng would not listen, and threw his weight against the door, trying to break it down.
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The door latch was about to snap, and Chang'e knew it would be too late if she did not act. To keep the pill from falling into Feng Meng's hands, where he would use it to hurt others, she climbed onto a stool, grabbed the wooden box from the beam, opened it, and swallowed the immortal pill in one gulp.
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Chang'e's body grew lighter and lighter, and she drifted out of the window like a feather. She did not want to stray too far from her home, so she flew toward the moon—the celestial body closest to the mortal world. That way, she could always watch over her home and protect the people she loved.
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When Feng Meng saw Chang'e rising into the air, he panicked and ran away. The villagers told the tribe's leader what had happened, and everyone agreed that Feng Meng must return everything he had ever stolen from the village, publicly apologize to Chang'e and Hou Yi, and make up for his mistake through hard labor.
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Chang'e drifted to the moon, where a sweet-scented cassia tree grew, and a snow-white jade rabbit ground herbs at a stone mortar. At first, Chang'e felt a little lonely, but the warm-hearted rabbit quickly pulled her in, and together they built a small wooden house in the moon palace.
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From that day on, Chang'e always poured the moon's soft light down onto the mortal world, guiding the villagers on when to plant crops, when the tides would rise, and which days were perfect for family reunions. When Hou Yi returned from his hunt and learned of his wife's choice, he was heartbroken, but he understood her decision completely.
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Hou Yi set out Chang'e favorite honey cakes and fruit in the yard. He did not ask her to come back; he only wanted to let her know her family was still thinking of her. That night, the moon was unusually full. Chang'e picked up her silver mirror and reflected a beam of moonlight into Hou Yi's yard, to let him know she was safe.
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The vast distance between them never cut off their care for one another: every month, Chang'e drew the moon's changing phases and sent the patterns down to earth via moonlight, teaching the village children to read the stars. Every time Hou Yi held a moon sacrifice, he left the newly harvested seeds and all the village's latest news in his yard for her.
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On the night of the full moon that autumn, the villagers celebrated a great harvest. Everyone gathered in the town square, laid out round rice cakes that symbolized family unity, and invited the village's elderly who lived alone and passing travelers to share the meal. All of them looked up at the moon to greet Chang'e.
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Chang'e and the jade rabbit planted a herb garden in a stone basin in the moon palace. Moonlight cast the shapes of the herbs down to earth, helping doctors identify the medicinal plants. And the Mid-Autumn songs that floated up from the mortal world wrapped around the moon palace, so it never felt lonely again.
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Later, Hou Yi passed his bow and arrows to the most trustworthy young man in the tribe, and repeatedly warned him that his skills must only be used to protect everyone and maintain balance. The villagers also built a dedicated storage room to lock up all their precious medicinal herbs, so no one would ever make the mistake of stealing from others again.
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The tale of Chang'e flying to the moon was passed down from generation to generation. Every Mid-Autumn Festival, people gather to admire the moon, eat mooncakes, and reunite with their families. This story also teaches us that bravery takes many forms: protecting others is brave, and making a hard choice is brave too.
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Respect the choices of the people you love, and even if you are thousands of miles apart, your feelings for each other will never break. This story reminds us to always stay kind, cherish the time we have with our loved ones, and think of others' needs before our own.