The Lady of the Moon

The Lady of the Moon

Long ago, during the reign of Emperor Yao, there lived a brave prince named Hou Yi. He was famous for being the finest archer in the land. People said his arrow could touch a leaf on the farthest branch, even when the wind was swaying the tree.

One day, a wonder quickly turned into a disaster. Ten suns rose in the sky instead of one. They blazed together, scorching the earth. Streams began to dry up, and people and animals could find no shade from the heat.

The emperor summoned Hou Yi.

“If you truly are the finest archer in the land, help the people,” he said. “The sky must return to the way it was.”

Hou Yi climbed a high mountain, drew his bow, and sent arrow after arrow into the sky. Nine extra suns faded and disappeared. One remained, warm and bright—the same sun that rises over the world each day.

The people breathed a sigh of relief, and they spoke Hou Yi’s name with great respect.

But the hero’s adventures were not over.

Hou Yi had an extraordinary horse, faster than the wind. One day, the prince set out on a long ride. The horse ran faster and faster, until the familiar fields were far behind. Hou Yi found himself beside the great Kunlun Mountains.

There he met the Queen Mother of the Jade Sea. She knew of his brave deed and gave him a rare magical herb.

“It holds the power of a long, almost immortal life,” she said. “Guard it wisely.”

Hou Yi brought the herb home and hid it away. He did not know whether he should use such a gift.

His wife was named Chang’e. One day, while Hou Yi was away, she found the hiding place. Chang’e looked at the strange herb for a long time, then tasted it.

Suddenly, she felt light as a petal.

Her feet lifted off the floor.

“What is happening to me?” she whispered in surprise.

She rose to the ceiling, then above the roof, above the trees, and over the mountains. The clouds drifted below her. The earth grew smaller and smaller, and ahead shone the round silver Moon.

That is how Chang’e reached the Moon Palace and became the Lady of the Moon.

Many years passed. Generations and dynasties came and went on earth, but the Moon still rose above the rooftops on quiet evenings.

People say that during the Tang dynasty, one mid-autumn night, an emperor sat in his garden with two wise magicians. The Moon looked so large and bright that it seemed close enough to touch.

“I wonder what it looks like up close,” the emperor said thoughtfully.

One of the magicians smiled. “If you truly wish to see, come with us.”

He lifted a bamboo staff and tossed it into the air. It grew longer, shone brightly, and turned into a bridge to the heavens.

The emperor and his two companions stepped onto the bridge. Step by step, they climbed higher until they reached the Moon.

A wonderful palace stood before them. Its walls and columns shimmered as if made of clear crystal. Above the entrance glowed an inscription: “The Palace of Crystal Cold.”

Nearby grew an enormous cassia tree. Its blossoms smelled so sweetly that their fragrance seemed to spread through the moonlight itself. A man stood among the branches, carefully trimming the young shoots.

“Why is he doing that?” the emperor asked.

“The tree grows extraordinarily fast,” the magician explained. “If no one cared for it, its crown might cover the Moon’s light. So from time to time, the branches are gently trimmed.”

Farther on, the visitors saw a white rabbit, as if carved from jade. It stood beside a marble mortar, carefully pounding magical herbs.

Tap, tap. Tap, tap.

The sound was soft and steady, like a little moonlit clock.

Then the Lady of the Moon came out of the palace. She wore a white cloak and a gown that shimmered with every color of the rainbow.

“Welcome to the gardens of the Moon,” she said. “Few people from the earth are lucky enough to see this place.”

At her signal, her attendants arrived on white birds. Music began beneath the cassia tree, light and clear as crystal drops chiming together. The visitors listened, holding their breath. Then a dance began, and it seemed as though the silver light moved with the dancers.

The emperor wanted to remember every sound.

But the moonlit night could not last forever.

“It is time to return,” one of the magicians said softly.

They said farewell to the Lady of the Moon, crossed the heavenly bridge, and found themselves once more in the garden on earth. The Moon was already sinking toward the edge of the sky.

The emperor called for his musicians at once.

“Tonight I heard a melody unlike any on earth,” he said. “I don’t want it to disappear with the night.”

He hummed the tune he could remember, and the musicians picked it up on their flutes. From then on, music said to have been born beneath the cassia tree on the Moon was heard for many years in the palace garden.

Even now, when a clear autumn night arrives and the round Moon hangs high above, people gaze at its bright surface. Some imagine a great tree. Others see a little rabbit beside a mortar.

And some remember the Lady of the Moon, who lives among crystal lights and keeps the music of the heavenly garden.

May this story leave a little light in your heart ✨