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Chang’e is a character from Chinese mythology, whose story forms an important part of the Autumn Moon Festival. According to the myth, she swallowed a magic pill in order to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. It made her immortal and turned her into the moon goddess but separated her from her husband, Huoyi, who is associated with the sun. They see each other only once a year during the festival.
Chang’e Quotes in A Hundred Flowers
The A Hundred Flowers quotes below are all either spoken by Chang’e or refer to Chang’e. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Moon Festival, September 1958: Tao (II) Quotes
The beginning of the story always remained the same: Huoyi was commanded by the Emperor Yao to use his archery skills to shoot down nine of the ten suns to keep the earth from burning up. Upon completing the task, the emperor gave the famed archer a pill that granted him eternal life. Knowing its value, Huoyi left the pill at home with Chang’e when he was sent away on another mission for the emperor. From there, they story of why Chang’e swallowed the pill of immortality splintered off into different versions. So far, Tao’s favorite account was Chang’e having to protect the pill from Peng, one of Huoyi’s apprentice archers, who forcefully tried to take the pill from her. Knowing that she was unable to fight him off, her only choice was to swallow the pill herself.
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Moon Festival, September 1958: Tao (III) Quotes
“Do you want to hear the story of Huoyi and Chang’e now?” his grandfather asked.
Tao turned around and shook his head. “There’s no moon,” he answered.
“There’s still the story.”
“It’s not the same without the moon.”
His grandfather stroked his whiskers. “But we know the moon is still up there, beyond the rain and clouds.”
What good was the moon if you couldn’t see it? Tao thought. If it wasn’t there to help his ba ba to find his way home again? But, he nodded and limped back to the table and sat down, no longer caring which version of the myth his grandfather was going to tell him.
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Chang’e Character Timeline in A Hundred Flowers
The timeline below shows where the character Chang’e appears in A Hundred Flowers. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Moon Festival, September 1958: Tao (II)
...a different version of the festival’s central myth, about Huoyi the archer and his wife Chang’e, the Moon Goddess of Immortality.
(full context)
...up. For some reason (each version of the story gives a different reason), Huoyi’s wife Chang’e swallowed the pill. She flew up to the moon, where she learned she could never...
(full context)
Moon Festival, September 1958: Tao (III)
...fully healed. When Wei asks if Tao wants to hear the story of Huoyi and Chang’e, Tao refuses. It’s not the same without the moon. Wei says they still have the...
(full context)
Moon Festival, September 1958: Kai Ying (V)
...She regrets missing it on the night of the Autumn Moon Festival; unlike Huoyi and Chang’e, she knows her reunions with her husband must wait another year.
(full context)
The City of Ghosts, November 1958: Wei (VII)
...to leave again without warning. Then, he asks to hear the story of Huoyi and Chang’e. Wei looks out the window where the kapok tree stands silhouetted against a moonless sky....
(full context)
