Chang'e

'''Chang'e ( ; ), originally known as Heng'e''' (), is the goddess of the Moon and wife of Hou Yi, the great archer. Renowned for her beauty, Chang'e is also known for ascending to the Moon with her pet Yu Tu, the Moon Rabbit and living in the Moon Palace (). She is one of the most well-known goddesses in Chinese mythology, Chinese folk religion, Chinese Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. In modern times, Chang'e is the namesake of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program.

== Origins and descriptions == Chang'e first appeared in Guicang, a divination text written during the Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC – 256 BC). From the few preserved fragments of the text, it mentions "Yi shoots the ten Suns", and "Chang'e ascending to the moon." Chang'e—originally named —was renamed to avoid the taboo on sharing names with a deceased emperor, in this case, Liu Heng, an emperor from Han Dynasty. Many Chinese poems are written around the theme of Chang'e and the moon.