Happy Moon Festival! Time to eat moon cakes and listen to the story of the beautiful woman who lives in the moon 
Chang'e was the wife of a hero, Houyi, famed for his archery. Houyi shot down 9 of the 10 suns which scorched the earth, and the grateful people made him king. Chang'e once loved him very much, but he eventually grew into a cruel and unjust king.
Houyi demanded that his magician make him an elixir of immortality. Fearing the results if Houyi lived forever, Chang'e stole the elixir, but was pursued by her angry husband. She drank the elixir to prevent Houyi from obtaining it and fled to the moon for refuge.
Now, when you look up at the full harvest moon, you can see a beautiful woman. This is Chang'e, who sacrificed her place among the people to protect them from an evil king, whom she once loved. Every year during the Moon Festival, we leave offerings to honor her sacrifice
This is the story my mother told to me, and it fills me with goth appreciation. A love lost, a desperate but resourceful woman, an unworthy husband who is punished, and the heroine lives on the moon. Iconic
Picture from: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Moon…
"Houyi Shooting an Arrow" from "Inquiry of the Heavens" (天問圖), by Xiao Yuncong (蕭雲從) (Qing Dynasty). ~1645. Taipei National Palace Museum.
Panel with the Moon Goddess and Attendants. 12th–13th century, Song or Yuan Dynasty. Artist unknown. Silk. metmuseum.org/art/collection…
The Moon Goddess Chang E. Artist Unknown. Tang Dynasty. Scroll with ink and paint. metmuseum.org/art/collection…
Chang'e flies to the moon. Myths & Legends of China. Werner, E.T.C. 1922. Thanks Project Gutenberg! commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chan…
I forgot to mention that Houyi died shortly thereafter of wrath. Also, Chinese folklore says there's a rabbit that lives in the moon too. Sometimes the bunny is described as Chang'e attendant and she sends it to do her bidding.
