Chinese Mythology Essay Example for Free

Chinese Mythology EssayChang-e is the lunar goddess in Chinese traditional apologues. In China, she is a widely cognise character. She is known as a very(prenominal) beautiful woman who is living alone in a castle in the lunar month called Guanghan Palace. Her story is one of the most famous tragedies in Chinese fables. latterly there argon several retold versions of the story of Chang-es ascent to the laze in different media. In 2010, there was a teleplay named Chang-e that told about the love story of Chang-e, Houyi, Wugang and Jade Rabbit. In the retold story, the relationship of these four persons is very complicated at the beginning.Later on, Houyi falls in love with Chang-e and Wugang is in love to Jade Rabbit. They testify to start their new lives happily. However, a prominent flood troubles the great unwashed, and it can be only resolved by Chang-e. The Jade Emperor gives 2 pills to Houyi and Chang-e but one of the 2 pills is destroyed and exchanged a form one by a scoundrel. Houyi eats the fake pill when he knows this since he wants Chang-e to float to the dream and control the tides, so that she can stop the disaster. At the end, Chang-e floats to the moon alone. Jade Rabbit sympathizes with Chang-e so she withal floats to the moon to accompany her.The 2 couples be both uninvolved. There are several versions of the ancient myth about Chang-e. But the most famous one is from the book huainanzi . Chang-e is Houyis wife. Houyi gets elixir from Xiwangmu (the Western queer Mother), and give it to his wife to store. When Houyi is going out to hunt, his student Fengmeng try to steal it but he is detect by Chang-e. When he wants to kill Chang-e, she swallows the elixir and floats to the moon. Houyi is very angry when he backs berth and Fengmeng has already fled. Houyi feels meritless and miss Chang-e, so he prepares some fruits and cakes Chang-e likes as sacrifices to worship.The Mother of Moon shows mercy and allows them to meet in th e night with full moon. pile believe Chang-e has become the goddess of moon after hearing of the story, so they hook up with Houyi and pray to her. This is the origin of worship to Chang-e on Mid-Autumn Festival. Although there are many an(prenominal) myths in ancient China, Chang-es story becomes one of the most famous. People have retold it for thousands of years. It is because of the Yin Yang tillage in China. Yin means negative, dark, cold or female, etc. Chinese flock believe the moon belongs to Yin, and it is the most Yin thing in the universe.Also, Chinese sight think the moon is beautiful but lonely and cold because of the reputation of Yin. So, population believed that the deity of the moon should be also beautiful, female and alone. In the story, Chang-e is a young and very beautiful woman. Her image fits peoples thinking of the moon. Her husband Houyi is a hero with great power and good at archery. He shot down 9 suns. Although these two persons are nearly perfect , their love story is a tragedy. People always remember those sad and beautiful love stories. This is the reason why tragedies are always retold once more and again.Also, Chinese think that the wanes and full of the moon hint the parting and meeting of families or lovers. As the great poet Su Shi said, People have sorrow and joy, they part and meet again and again. There are wanes and full of the moon, it is sometimes covered and it sometimes shines. These are always regrets since the olden days. This impression fits the situation of Chang-e and Houyi. They are separated but still can meet in the night with full moon. On another hand, ancient Chinese were very curious about the moon.They thought the moon was beautiful but mysterious, and they always imaged the nature and story of the moon, and tried to get some suppositions to go to the moon. From a long time ago, there are so many literary works talking about the moon. Ancient Chinese reposed their thinking on the story of Chang- es ascent to the moon, and retell the myth again and again. The popularity of the story of Chang-e shows ancient Chinese peoples eagerness and willingness to explore the moon. Even though they had no abilities to go to the moon, they tried to pass the idea to posterity, and that really comes true recently.In the past several decades, the space flight technology has developed significantly. Nowadays, it allows human being to go onto the moon already. In 2007, the Chinese Lunar Exploration architectural plan (CLEP) was launched, and the program is also named Chang-e Program. The lunar orbiters and lunar landers launched in this program are all named Chang-e 1, Chang-e 2, etc. The appellative of the program and orbiters and landers hints that the Chinese peoples dream of going to the moon finally comes true. Chinese people can finally set foot on the moon back like the lunar goddess, Chang-e.In contemporary China, the influence of the story of Chang-e still exists in other aspects. The story is retold again and again in different media, such as films, teleplay and cartoons, etc. It is even included in Chinese primary students textbooks. Furthermore, many people still keep the tradition of worship to Chang-e on the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, when the moon is said to be largest, and Chang-e can hear the pray of people. People will prepare moon cakes and fresh fruits as sacrifices to the lunar goddess, as what Houyi did many centuries before. This tradition shows Chinese peoples mind does not change among thousands of years.Chinese know that the parting and meeting of people are unchangeable, just like the nature principle that the moon wanes and becomes full, moves in circles. Therefore, on the night of Mid-Autumn Festival, people recall their family, friends or lovers. The olds hope their children and grandchildren can be with them to mention the festival and view the full moon together. And in the night, adults will tell the story of Chang-e to the childre n, and introduce the culture of Mid-Autumn Festival. The story is retold again and again, and passed to the posterity.Even though those family members has left hometown, they will try their best to back home before the festival to celebrate with the family. In the night with full moon, they pray to the lunar goddess for reunions of members of family. People are eager for Yuan. In Chinese, the word Yuan means the shape of circle and also the reunion of members of family. On the Mid-Autumn Festival, people always pray for Yuan of both the moon and family. Even though the myth of Chang-es ascent to the moon has more and more retold version since peoples different stake in different times, the culture of it will never change.Chinese people will keep the lens nucleus value of Yuan, as well as other Chinese traditional core value. References 1. pilar cyst Yu , (2010) , Enorth. com. Retrieved from http//ent. enorth. com. cn/system/2010/11/23/005412956. shtml 2. Gao You. Huainanzi Exp lanation . Worldbook Taiwan, 1965. 3. Jiang Pei Ying , 300 Song Poems . Thread-Blinding Books Publishing House, 2003. 4. Liu Zhi Qing , (2007) ,Xinhuanet. Retrieved from http//news3. xinhuanet. com/tech/2007-07/07/content_6340313. htm.