There once was a God in the Heavens known as Wú Gāng (吴刚.) His job was to make pills and potions for the other Gods, the most important being the immortality pill. Every 1000 years, Gods would have to take the pill to stay immortal. But, Wú Gāng pitied the humans below, so would occasionally spare a few of them by giving them pills. When the Jade Emperor heard wind of this, he became very angry, and sentenced him to eternally chop down a magical Laurel Tree, which would grow back whatever was cut off.
Soon, the Jade Emperor realized he needed someone new to replace Wú Gāng of his duties, but he thought he might choose a different being, for humans were mischievous and unreliable. So, he sent three Gods to a forest to find something that they deemed fit. It was decided that they would pose as old beggars in need of food, Soon, they came across three animals who wanted to help: a monkey, a fox, and a rabbit. They told the creatures that they were in desperate need of food, so the threesome set off. On their search, the monkey brought back fruit, the fox returned with cassava roots, but the rabbit returned empty handed. Feeling so bad for the men, the rabbit sacrificed himself by jumping into the fire so they could eat him!
The three Gods unanimously agreed that the rabbit was the most selfless of them all, so they brought him back to the Heavens, where he could resume Wú Gāng’s chores. In the beginning, he seemed eager to learn how to make the various elixirs for the Gods, and he proved to be very hardworking. As a reward, the Jade Emperor transformed the rabbits fur to glow white, like Jade. After that day, he would he known as the Jade rabbit, or Yù tù (玉兔.)
One fateful day, a Goddess known as the Queen Mother of the West demanded for some of Yù tù’s immortality pills. Remembering what the Jade Emperor had done to Wú Gāng before him, he refused. But, she insisted that she would never give them to any mortals, and fearing what the Goddess would do to him, a handed some over. Not long later, the Jade Emperor heard about what happened, and confronted Yù tù. You see, after he gave the pills to the Queen Mother of the West, she rewarded them to Hòu Yì for shooting down the suns in the sky, who proceeded to give them to his wife Chang’e.
Fearing she might lose the pill, she accidentally ingested it whole, and was flown into the sky. So, Yù tù immeditaly confessed to the Jade Emperor for his sins. He felt to be directly the cause of blame from Chang’e’s entrapment in the moon above. Yù tù pleaded with the Jade Emperor to be sent up to her to keep her company eternally, and the Jade Emperor agreed because he too thought it was a good punishment. If you ever want to see Chang’e or Yù tù in the night sky, simply look up when the moon is full, and you will see them keeping one another company.
Nice article, Avery! I actually never heard this story before. The one story I’ve heard about the Moon Festival is the 后裔射箭. 后裔射箭 is talking about this character name 后裔, and he shot 9 suns from the sky in order to save the villagers life. Then he was given the immortality pills which was eaten by 后裔‘s wife, 嫦娥. I never actually know where the pills came from, but now I do. Thanks Avery!
Great article Avery! I’ve seen pictures of Yu tu in the sky during the Mid-Autumn festival, but never actually knew the story behind it. It’s really interesting how the Gods chose a rabbit to take the duty of making immortality pills for them. I had also never heard of the Queen Mother of the West, and how she demanded that Yu tu giver her some of her pills. I also didn’t know that she was the one who would later give them to Hou yi for shooting down nine suns! I also think that it was really selfless of Yu tu to sacrifice himself and stay on the moon with Chang’e for all of eternity! Thanks for sharing!
I learned a lot about the story behind the Mid-Autumn Festival from this article. I knew a little bit about this story, but I’ve never heard of the rabbit sacrificing himself and becoming the Jade Rabbit. I find it very interesting that people say you can see Chang’e and Yu tu on the moon. I wonder if some people actually see anything. I also wonder if there are stories like this for other Chinese holidays. Thank you for sharing!
Very informative article Avery! The first time I heard this story was in class on Friday, but that was a very run down version of the story. This article was way more detailed than what we had to act out. I thought it was intriguing that the gods choose a rabbit to make them pills that would make them immortal. I also thought it was interesting how this story intertwines with the story of how 后裔 shot down 9 suns. Thanks for informing us, Avery!
It’s so cool how the story of the Jade Rabbit is related to the tale of Chang’e and a version of 吴刚’s story! 玉兔 is truly selfless, having sacrificed himself to help others and then offering to spend eternity with someone else because he felt that he was at fault for her fate. It’s sad that the Goddess of the West broke her promise and ended up giving the pills to mortals. Her act, which probably had only good intentions towards Hou Yi, ultimately led to unhappy endings for basically everyone involved (except for herself!). I wonder if she was ever punished by the Jade Emperor for giving away the pills. I think I’ve noticed a rabbit in some pictures with Chang’e, but I’ll definitely pay extra attention now! Thanks for sharing!
Great article! I’ve never heard of this story before. I really like how the Gods that were looking for someone to replace Wu Gang’s duties dressed as hungry old beggars. If they hadn’t been, every creature they came across would have been willing to help them just because they are gods. I didn’t realize that the Jade Emperor had the power to change the color of the rabbit’s fur coat. I can’t believe that he would give up some of the immortality pills to the Queen Mother of the West, who he didn’t know at all. Thank you for sharing this story!
Amazing article Avery! It’s really interesting to see how the four stories are intertwined – you did a great job describing each one! Previously, I always wondered Hou Yi received his pills or elixir. However, your article made it extremely clear! In Western and Chinese cultures, there are different interpretations of the shadow on the moon. Some say it is a rabbit, while others argue it’s a lady. Now, I guess we can say it’s both! Thanks for the informative article!
This was a great article! I was actually interested because I have not heard this story before. This is the first time I actually heard this one even though I have heard other Chinese stories. I really liked the ending because it was a great way to end the whole story as a whole and end it by saying that if you look into the moon you can see the two of them. Great job with showing this story and I hope you keep it up!
This was a very well written article! I only knew the story about Chang e, and never knew that there was more! I think that Wu Gang and the rabbit shouldn’t have been punished, mainly because they were doing what they did to help someone else. It’s not like they knew that they were doing something bad. I think that the Jade Emperor was too harsh and should have had more sympathy.
Noice👌! In China I’ve only heard of the story about a dude shooting down 9 sun’s and then getting rewarded with immortality pills.He wanted to take it with his girlfriend but another dude came to their house and tried to steal it. Instead of having it stolen the dude’s girlfriend actually ate it and flew to the moon.I never knew why there was a rabbit there or how the dude got the pill, now I know.Great article!
awesome article! it is always nice to read cool stories created by the Chinese. i found it super interesting how the rabbit was rewarded a jade color on its fur for being selfless! although i already heard of this story it was extremely interesting to read more background information and in more depth!
This article is so interesting. I have always loved learning about Chinese stories, but I have never heard about this one. I think that as Chinese students, we should all enlighten ourselves in broadening our horizons in Chinese culture. It’s so cool how people of different cultures create stories to explain certain, things like how the moon is shaped in a face. At least Chang E and the rabbit are keeping each other company!
This is very interesting. In school, I learned about the archer and the immortality pills. However I never knew about this side of the story. Which is very interesting. There are always new stories that people have never heard of. It shows that selflessness pays off.
This article was really interesting I learned the Chinese stories before but I have never heard about this story and when I read I learned a pretty much a lot of things about the the moon. Good job with this article I would never heard about this story.
This article was really interesting I learned the Chinese stories before but I have never heard about this story and when I read I learned a pretty much a lot of things about the the moon. Good job with this article I would never heard about this story.
This article was really interesting I learned the Chinese stories before but I have never heard about this story and when I read I learned a pretty much a lot of things about the the moon. Good job with this article I would never heard about this story. I also thought it was interesting when the emperor sent the gods to the forest and got help from the animals
nice article avery. i’ve only heard about 后羿射日and嫦娥奔月. never heard about this one. after reading this article i’ve learned a lot about this story. you did a very good job on writing this avery. keep it up.
Nice article. I’ve always found these Chinese stories very interesting, but this one to me is the best one yet. As a Chinese student that we should be reading more of these stories throughout class. Even though the story is very unrealistic, it is also very intriguing. The version of this story is truly amazing and there could be many more different versions which makes these stories just amazing.
Nice article! I’ve never heard of the rest of the story before. I heard about the archer shooting down the 9 suns but not the entire story. These is an interesting story. good to know
I’ve never heard of this story before reading this article; it was very interesting! The story was very intriguing but seems unrealistic, and the punishment from the Jade Emperor seems unusually cruel. The rabbit sacrificing himself to help three strangers he’d never met before also seems very unrealistic. I had heard of the man who shot down 9 suns, and was given immortality pills, but his wife accidentally ingested them. Great article!
I didn’t know the myth of the jade rabbit and its medicine before reading this article. In Korea, we also celebrate 中秋节 (we only say 秋节）and talk about rabbits that live on the moon. However, I don’t remember talking about any myths or legends related to them. The jade rabbits really worked hard to provide immortality pills but Chang E are all of them and flew to the moon. I knew that Chang e lived in the moon, but I didn’t know how she got to live there. Nice work Avery!
Great article, Avery. I found this article to be very intriguing since I wrote another article containing 吴刚, but the story was so different. I think it was very interesting how the jade rabbit worked hard to provide the immortality pills, but ultimately, 嫦娥 sent them to the moon. There were some things that I found unrealistic about this article, such as the fact that the rabbit would so easily sacrifice itself for three strangers that made no difference to the rabbit’s life. In addition, I felt that this story works perfectly into the other stories that goes along with the Mid Autumn festival, and I think that this story in particular has caught the eye of many readers. It is crazy to see how the different stories are interconnected; the subject of the immortality pill seems to carry itself from character to character within the separate stories.
The method used to pick the animal that would make the potions and pills to the gods was very interesting. I feel that the Queen should have been punished instead of the rabbit. The rabbit was forced to give the immortal pills out of fear. The punishment that the rabbit received was creative. Great story.
Great article! It was interesting to learn about both 嫦娥 and 玉兔 as their stories are undoubtedly two of my favorite Chinese myths. I have heard this story before, but I was fascinated that the rabbit sacrificed himself for the three beggars. The tale of 嫦娥 is one of China’s most beloved stories, so it was amazing to see how these completely different myths are connected. Additionally, I loved how you incorporated the story of 后羿 in the article. It shows the various relationships between so many Chinese legends.
This article was really interesting I learned the Chinese stories before but I have never heard about this story and when I read I learned a pretty much a lot of things about the the moon. Great article Avery. I learned a lot reading about this traditional and ancient story!
This article was really interesting I learned the Chinese stories before but I have never heard about this story and when I read I learned a pretty much a lot of things about the the moon. Good job with this article I would never heard about this story.
I enjoyed reading about the moon festival, and its origin. I also liked the idea that the bunny would take responsibility for his actions and that he was willing to keep her company for eternity. The fact the the queen mother of the west demanded the pills was unfair to the jade rabbit and the fact that she had no repercussions for her forceful actions annoys me. In the end the rabbits selflessness is inspiring because he was willing to self sacrifice himself to help others. This was a great story and i enjoyed learning a bit more mythology.
When I was young, the only stories I’d known concerning the Moon Festival were about Hou Yi and ChangE. I vaguely knew about Wu Gang but not at all about the Jade Rabbit! I am even more surprised to learn that these stories are all connected. I had always assumed that these different stories were all standalone folk stories. Maybe they are! But hearing about how they are connected makes a lot of sense as well!
I hear this story every time and I feel like it always changes. But that is what makes these so interesting. I never heard of Wu Gang but apparently he’s really important in a lot of Chinese stories. I don’t believe the jade rabbit should’ve been punished, there was nothing he could do. But great article, I look forward to more!
Great article Avery! I always knew the story of Chang’e, but I haven’t really heard the story of the Jade Rabbit. The story of Wu Gang is very interesting and is much different from other stories. For me, when I think about being immortal, you would be able to live forever regardless whatsoever. However, in this story, you must take a pill once every 1000 years. I also believe that it was wise for the Jade Rabbit to explain himself, but I don’t think the Rabbit should’ve received the same punishment as Chang’e. Can’t wait to read more stories!
This was a great article Avery. I’ve always heard about the medicine that will allow one to be immortal, but ive never heard of a jade rabbit. I have also noticed that the person Wu Gang has appeared in several stories. I also believe that the jade rabbit should not have been punished because he hasn’t done anything wrong. Nice article, i hope to see more like this.
Great article, Avery! I’ve heard of many ancient Chinese stories before, but I’ve never heard of this one. The idea of a pill of immortality is interesting. While being immortal sounds appealing, I probably wouldn’t take it. As for the story of Wu Gang, the rabbit’s selflessness made it the perfect candidate. Ancient Chinese mythology is so interesting! Keep up the great work!
Great article Avery! I’ve only heard about the part of the story where Chang’e ingests the pills and flies to the moon, but I now learned so much more background to the story. For example, I never knew 吴刚 was a God who made pills and potions for others. Thanks for sharing!
Avery, what a fascinating story, despite having studied the story in class, I now realize I was missing the information in the beginning of the story concerning Wu Gang, the first maker of the immortal elixirs. I had no idea that the story of the jade rabbit was intertwined with the famous Chang’ e story because she ate immortal pills that the rabbit made, causing her to fly to the moon. I feel as though the rabbit should not have been punished so harshly; after all, the Queen Mother did promise not to give the immortal potions to the mortals. It truly is a testament to the selfless character of the Jade Rabbit that it was willing to sacrifice itself to feed the beggars. As such, I hope that many people remember the Jade Rabbit and the qualities it stands for when they look at the moon tonight. Great Job!
Avery, what a fascinating story, despite having studied the story in class, I now realize I was missing the information in the beginning of the story concerning Wu Gang, the first maker of the immortal elixirs. I had no idea that the story of the jade rabbit was intertwined with the famous Chang’ e story because she ate immortal pills that the rabbit made, causing her to fly to the moon. I feel as though the rabbit should not have been punished so harshly; after all, the Queen Mother did promise not to give the immortal potions to the mortals. It truly is a testament to the selfless character of the Jade Rabbit that it was willing to sacrifice itself to feed the beggars. As such, I hope that many people remember the Jade Rabbit and the qualities it stands for when they look at the moon tonight. Great Job!
This is an amazing story. I found it very interested that this story has a lot to do with chang e. I performed this in class and I really liked the story. The moral of the story is also super great in this story. You can learn about how to act by reading this story. Everyone can learn from the jade rabbit because he is so kind and selfless.
Interesting article! I’ve always heard Chinese folklores from my parents and relatives, but never this one. It’s cool how if you actually look at a full moon in the night sky, you can see vague outlines of a rabbit and mortar. In some East Asian versions, the rabbit is seen pounding with a mortar and pestle. The jade rabbit in the story is such a selfless character, willing to sacrifice itself to feed the beggars. I believe we can all learn from the rabbit’s kindness.
Amazing article. It’s really interesting to see how the four stories are related. This amazing story taught us an important life lesson: selfless. Everyone has hubris inner self, this includes main character in the story, who seeks for immortality. Thanks for the informative article!
This was a great and informative article! I never knew that there was such an in depth background. Even though we studied this story in class but it didn’t cover everything. It was really selfless of Yu tu to sacrifice himself and stay on the moon with Chang’e for eternity. A lesson I learned was to be selfless.