Rabbit or goddess?

Last night, I stepped outdoors to admire the moon and found myself imagining both the Moon Rabbit and the Moon Goddess gracing its surface. On full moon nights, if you look at the moon at different times—say, at 8pm and again at 4am—you’ll notice something fascinating. The moon seems to have turned on its head. Before midnight, you can discern the rabbit, while after midnight, the goddess reveals herself.

The Moon Rabbit and the Moon Goddess are two of the most beloved figures in Chinese mythology, their tales intricately intertwined. The Moon Goddess, Chang'e, is a figure of grace and longing, and it is no coincidence that China chose her name to represent their ambitious space programmes—a fitting homage to this celestial legend.

The story of Chang'e begins with her husband, Hou Yi, a legendary archer renowned for his unparalleled skill. Hou Yi became a hero when he shot down nine of the ten suns that scorched the earth, thus sparing the world from devastation. As a reward for his heroic deed, the Queen Mother of the West gifted him an elixir of immortality. But Hou Yi, not wanting to ascend to immortality alone, planned to share the elixir with Chang'e so they could live forever together.

Fate, however, had other plans. One day, while Hou Yi was away, a treacherous apprentice named Peng Meng tried to steal the elixir. To protect it from falling into the wrong hands, Chang'e drank the elixir herself. Upon consuming it, she was lifted into the sky and ascended to the moon, where she remains to this day, an immortal figure of grace and longing, gazing wistfully at the earth she left behind.

Chang'e is not entirely alone on the moon. She is accompanied by the Moon Rabbit, often called the Jade Rabbit, a loyal companion. The rabbit is frequently depicted pounding ingredients with a mortar and pestle, said to be preparing the elixir of immortality for Chang'e or perhaps medicine for mortals. Some even imagine it crafting mooncakes, the traditional delicacy of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The origins of the Moon Rabbit are equally charming. One popular tale tells of a rabbit that offered itself as food to a beggar who was, in reality, the Jade Emperor in disguise. Touched by its selflessness, the Jade Emperor placed the rabbit on the moon as an eternal reward. Others suggest the rabbit’s myth stems from the dark markings on the moon, which resemble the silhouette of a rabbit, sparking imaginations and giving birth to the legend.

Together, Chang'e and the Moon Rabbit are central to the Mid-Autumn Festival, celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth Chinese lunar month. In the past, families gathered for prayers to the full moon, savour mooncakes and recount these timeless tales. Chang'e symbolises beauty, grace and the bittersweet nature of longing, while the Moon Rabbit represents purity, selflessness and healing. Their stories evoke a sense of wonder and connection to the moon, inspiring countless poems, artworks and traditions over the centuries.