THE LEGEND OF MOONCAKE FESTIVAL

PROLOGUE
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a harvest festival celebrated by ethnic Chinese and Vietnamese
people. The festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese Han
calendar and Vietnamese calendar, on the night of the full moon between early September to
early October of the Gregorian calendar. In this occasion, China has the tradition to gather and
eat mooncakes.
But what is the story behind this special time of the year?
SCENE I

Villager 1 : Hey, arent you feeling that the earth is getting really hot?
Villager 2 : Yeah, we are suffering from a severe drought.
Villager 1 : China is getting really bad.
Villager 2 : Yeah, my plants arent getting any good. They wont grow.
Villager 1 : My family is starving at home.
Villager 2 : We are all suffering though, I hope someone could eliminate some
of those suns.
A long time ago, the earth had ten suns in the sky. China was suffering from a
severe drought that leads to poverty. All of the people are in bad condition. They
can only hope for a miracle, which is a hero.
Villager 1 : How can someone eliminate those sun?
Villager 2 : I dont know, but I think its a real deal.
Villager 1 : People are thinking about their own lives in this condition.
Villager 2 : Yeah.
Villager 1 : Why dont we go back home? Im kind of burning sitting here too
long.
Villager 2 : You are right.
(Villager 1 and villager 2 walked away and saw a man who is holding an unusual
bow and arrows looking confused)
Villager 1 : Excuse me sir, may I help you?
Hou Yi : Im searching for the highest place in China.
Villager 1 : Im sorry, but I dont
Villager 2 : Go to the top of Kunlun Mountain.
Hou Yi : Do you know where is it?
Villager 2 : Youre actually on the right way. Just walk up there furthermore
and youll reach the top. But, it would take some time though.
Hou Yi : Its fine, Thank you. (Hou Yi ran immediately to the direction
shown)
Villager 1 : Who was that?
Villager 2 : I dont know.

SCENE II
Hou Yi : Is this the highest place?
(Hou Yi looked around him)
Hou Yi : This is it. I can see the suns shining brightly yet I have to
eliminate them one by one.
(Hou Yi grabs his arrows and shoot each sun down, except one.)
Hou Yi : Nine are down, now the earth shall be green and people will be
prosperous.

SCENE III
Hou Yi eliminated nine suns out of ten. He left the last one to keep on giving light
to the earth. He was then afterwards being given so much love by the villagers.
Villager 1 : Hou Yi, is it your name?
Hou Yi : Yes, it is.
Villager 1 : I couldnt believe that you have saved us.
Hou Yi : I cant bear to see more and more people suffering from the
severe drought here.
Villager 1 : You are very gifted being able to do so.
Hou Yi : Im nothing without your help. Please convey my gratitude to
your friend that showed me the way to the highest place in China.
Villager 1 : I will. (Bows himself.)
Hou Yi : Thank you. (Bows back.)
Villager 1 : Anyway, can I learn from you? I want to become strong too.
Hou Yi : Of course. You can invite all of your friends to learn martial arts
with me.
Villager 1 : Really?
Hou Yi : Yeah.

SCENE III
Hou Yis news was spreading fast and all the villagers get to know more and
more about their hero. He lives a really happy life and also had a lovely wife
named Chang E. He really loves his wife because she is kind-hearted and
beautiful. But, is there any other gift of happiness better for a hero?
Hou Yi : Im home.
Chang E : Welcome home.
Hou Yi : Im having trouble with my shirt from yesterday.
Chang E : Whats wrong?
Hou Yi : I think it is torn out by my sword.
Chang E : No worries, Im always here to help you.
Hou Yi : Thank you.
Chang E : Its all my duty. Dont work too hard, try to get some rest
every night.
Hou Yi : Of course. Anyway, your cooking is getting better every day.
Chang E : Youre too excessive.

SCENE IV
(Hou Yi was walking through his way when she met a woman)
Empress : Hou Yi.
Hou Yi : (Turns his back) Yes, may I help you?
Empress : The hero that eliminate nine suns. Is that true?
Hou Yi : Yes, it was me.
Empress : Doing a great deed and save thousands or maybe millions of
people living in this earth.
Hou Yi : Its all for my family as well.
Empress : Im the Empress of Heaven Wangmu. Im here to give you a
reward. (She hands out a small glass.)
Hou Yi : What is this?
Empress : This is an elixir. It can ascend you immediately to heaven and you
can become a god.
Hou Yi : But I dont want to leave now.
Empress : You dont have to use it now, though. (Walks away.)

SCENE V
(Hou Yi walks home in confusion, but he continues to teach his martial art lesson
first)
Peng Meng : Let me introduce myself, my name is Peng Meng and I want to
learn martial art here.
Hou Yi : Welcome Peng Meng, please feel free here. I treat everyone as
family here.
Peng Meng : Thank you.
Hou Yi : Your welcome. Have you ever learnt about martial arts before?
Peng Meng : I have known some basics actually.
Hou Yi : Then learning here should be easy for you.
Peng Meng : I think I need to learn it again because I havent used it often.
Hou Yi : Okay, just relax. Lets start by learning the hand and leg
coordination.
(Hou Yi and Peng Meng walks away.)

SCENE VI
Peng Meng : (He was walking when he found Hou Yis belt.) Isnt this master
Hou Yis? I should give it to him immediately.
Coming home late, Hou Yi talks with his wife, Chang E, about him meeting The
Empress of Heaven Wangmu.
Chang E : Welcome home.
Hou Yi : Good evening, Dear.
Chang E : You look really tired today.
Hou Yi : I finished my martial art class too late.
Chang E : Dont forget to get good sleep tonight. I heard that youre going
with your friends tomorrow.
Hou Yi : I almost forgot, well that means Im going to be home late again.
Chang E : Its okay.
Hou Yi : Anyway, I got this elixir.
Chang E : What is this?
Hou Yi : I met The Empress of Heaven Wangmu this morning. As a gift for
saving the earth, she gave me this elixir that can ascend a person
to heaven and turn the person into a god/goddess.
Chang E : Its a real magical thing.
Hou Yi : I think its better if you keep it in a safe place.
Chang E : Why wont you drink it?
Hou Yi : I cant leave you here alone.
Chang E : Okay sir.

(Peng Meng heard all the conversation when he was standing in the front door.)
Peng Meng : It means that the person to drink it would be immortal, right?

SCENE VII
Chang E : (Walking to the living room and took a note left there.) Ill
be home late, be safe.
(Someone knocked the door and Chang E opened it.)
Peng Meng : (Holding a sword.) I know that the elixir for immortal life is here!
Chang E : What do you mean?
Peng Meng : I know all about that elixir and you hid it somewhere here.
Chang E : I wont give you that elixir, Its not yours
Peng Meng : I dont care. Ill search for it myself. (search to the book rack)
Cheng E : Dont (She takes the elixir and drinks it immediately.)

SCENE VIII
Hou Yi : (entering his home, he knew something was wrong.) Chang E, Im
home!
Villager 1 : (run in quickly) Chang E, master (panting) She flew right up,
taken by some mysterious power. She was taken to the moon.
Hou Yi : What?!
Overcome with grief, Hou Yi looked up into the night sky and called out the name
of his beloved wife when, to his surprise, he found that the moon was especially
clear and bight and on it there was a swaying shadow that was exactly like his
wife. But, he could not get to the moon at all.
Hou Yi : Even though you are far away from me, living in the palace of the
moon. I cant forget about you. (putting some sweets in a table
with a photo of her [incense table])
Thinking of his wife day and night, Hou Yi then had an incense table arranged in
the back garden that Chang E loved. Putting on the table sweetmeats and fresh
fruits Chang E enjoyed most, Hou Yi held at a distance a memorial ceremony for
Chang E who was sentimentally attached to him in the palace of the moon.
EPILOGUE
The moon looks extremely round, big and bright on the 15th day of each lunar
month. People selected the August 15 to celebrate because it is a season when
crops and fruits are all ripe and weather pleasant. On the Mid-Autumn Festival,
all family members or friends meet outside, putting food on tables and looking
up at the sky while talking about life.