Hou Yi - The Myth of Hou Yi Shooting the Sun and Chang'e Flying to the Moon

Author: Ye Zhaoyan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: In ancient Chinese mythology, Hou Yi is a legendary hero—he shot down nine suns in succession, bringing favorable weather; he killed numerous man-eating birds and beasts, allowing the people to live in peace and prosperity. However, Hou Yi's wife, Chang'e, feared that shooting the suns would provoke the Jade Emperor's wrath, so she stole the immortality elixir given to Hou Yi by the Queen Mother of the West. She betrayed Hou Yi, sacrificing their love and living a lonely and desolate life in the Moon Palace alone. In the book Hou Yi, renowned writer Ye Zhaoyan retells this myth and gives it a fresh modern twist: Chang'e endures hardship to raise the divine heir—Hou Yi. With Chang'e's help, Hou Yi completes his transformation from a god to a mortal. After Hou Yi becomes an emperor, Chang'e loses his favor. When Hou Yi is on the brink of despair, he realizes that only Chang'e's love is his source of strength, and he banishes her, allowing her to fly away to escape the chaos. Because of Chang'e's love, Hou Yi becomes human; because of Hou Yi's love, Chang'e becomes divine. In Ye Zhaoyan's dazzling retelling, schemes and love, devotion and greed, loyalty and betrayal, desire and dignity unfold in the novel, presenting us with a vibrant mythological world and a moving, unforgettable love story.