Folklore about the origin of the festival go like this:In remote antiquity,there were ten suns rising in the sky,which scorched all crops and drove people into poverty.A hero named HouYi was much worried about this.He ascended to the top of the Kunlun Mountain and,directing his superman strength to full extent,drew his extraordinary bow and shot down the nine suns one after another.He also ordered the last sun to rise and set according to time.For this reason,he was respected and loved by the people and lots of people of ideals and integrity came to him to learn martial arts from him.Moreover,HouYI received a parcel of elixir from the Empress of Heaven Wangmu.By taking a parcel of elixir,he would ascend immediately to the Heaven and become a celestial being.But he did not want to part with hie wife.So he gave the elixir to his wife to treasure for the time being.His wife,Chang E,who is beautiful and kind-hearted,hide the parcel at her dressing table.But it was seen by a bad man unexpectedly.

One day,when Hou Yi went to hunting,the man,with a sword in hand,forced Chang E to hand over the elixir.Aware that she was unable to defeat the man,she made a difficult decision.She opened the box,took up the elixir and swallow it.Gradually,her body floated the ground and flew towards heaven.The man escaped.   

When HouYi returned home at dark,he knew what had happened from the servants.And he was very sad.He looked up into the night sky,and called out the name of his wife.To his surprise,he found that the moon was especially clear and bright.And on the moon,there was a shadow that was exactly like his wife.He arranged a table in the garden,putting on the table cakes and fresh fruits that his wife enjoyed most.Hou Yi held a memorial ceremony for his wife at a great distance.   

When common people heard about the story,they arranged the table in the moonlight and prayed for kind-hearted Chang E too.From then on,the custom of worshiping the moon spread among the people.   

This a very popular folklore in China,and most of Chinese knew about it.In Mid-Autumn Festival,if you look at the moon carefully enough,maybe you can find that Chang E is dancing in the moon to miss her lover.

The picture of "Chang E flying to the moon"

The ancient beautiful love story is a small part of the ancient Chinese culture. Now, the love story still affects our life. For example, the Chinese lunar satellite series called "Chang E",and The first lunar satellite named "Chang E No.1". "Chang E No.1" satellite has launched at five after six PM (UTC + 8),on October 24, 2007, in xichang satellite launch center.

For respecting, inheriting and carrying forward Chinese Ancient Culture,The government particularly sets "Mid-Autumn festival" as the national legal holiday. During the festival, citizens shall enjoy 3 days holiday every year.