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The Lady of the
Moon
By Yuet-Mei Chan
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Have
you ever heard of the Chinese "moon cakes"? They are special
sweet pastries that are round and filled with lotus seed paste.
Some of them come with one preserved egg yolk in the middle
of the cake, some of them come with two egg yolks and some
of them come with 5 egg yolks. These egg yolks are golden
in color and they signify the moon. Hence they are called
moon cakes. Most moon cakes are about 3" in diameter and are
boxed in a tin box. Usually there are 4 moon cakes to a box
and each box could sell for $20 to $100 dollars. The more
preserved egg yolks there are the higher the price. The smoother
the lotus seed paste, the more expensive the moon cake. The
tin box containing the moon cakes usually has a painting of
the "Moon Beauty"-the lady that the Chinese claim to be living
on the moon. These cakes were made to commemorate her.
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This
is how the Chinese Folklore goes: Long, long time ago, there
were 10 suns up in the sky. It was so hot that it was unbearable.
The land was dry with draughts and people were dying from
hunger. One day, a strong, young man decided the only way
out is to shoot down the suns. So he took out his bow and
arrows. He aimed and shot down nine suns, one after another.
He left only one sun behind. Every thing started to go back
to normal again. The crops started to grow and the people's
lives were saved. Every one was so thankful for what he did
that they made him the Emperor. They worshiped him, brought
him gifts and blessings. The Emperor got every thing he ever
wanted, and started to get greedy. He wanted to live forever
and rule the people forever. He sent out scores of people
to look for the fountain of youth and forbid them to return
home without it. Meanwhile, the Emperor got meaner and meaner
to his people, demanding food and gifts from them to keep
him happy. Every person was suffering as the Emperor's demand
grew and grew.
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Years gone by, one of the Emperor's team returned
proclaiming to have found the fountain of youth. The Emperor
was ecstatic, thinking he could live forever. As the herb
was prepared in a big pot in the palace kitchen, the Emperor's
wife heard the news. She was very concerned that the people's
suffering would never end should the Emperor have really found
the fountain of youth. While no one was watching, the Empress
sneaked into the kitchen where the fountain of youth of being
prepared on the stove. Suddenly she heard the Emperor coming
and in a panic, she drank the medicine herself. Within a few
seconds, she flew to the moon along with the rabbit she held
in her hands. Without the fountain of youth, the Emperor did
die and the people were relieved of their sufferings. To this
day, the lady that the Chinese call the "Moon Beauty" still
lives on the moon. No one knows whether Neil Armstrong, the
first man that walked the moon, saw or spoke to her while
he was on the moon.
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