Chang’e is the Chinese moon goddess whose story centers on an immortality drug and separation from the archer Yi. Ancient and later sources disagree about why she takes the medicine, whether the act is theft, escape, accident, or sacrifice, and what form she assumes on the moon.
The immortality drug
Yi obtains a drug or elixir, often from the Queen Mother of the West. In some accounts Chang’e takes it while Yi is away and rises to the moon. Later moralized versions add an apprentice who tries to steal it, prompting Chang’e to swallow it to keep it from him.
Life on the moon
Early texts can say Chang’e becomes a toad, while later art favors a graceful goddess. The jade rabbit, cassia tree, and woodcutter Wu Gang belong to related lunar traditions, not necessarily the earliest telling of her flight.
Mid-Autumn Festival
Chang’e became closely linked with the Mid-Autumn Festival, moon viewing, family reunion, and mooncakes. Festival practice has many historical layers. It should not be described as beginning solely because of one complete Chang’e story that all regions share.