Chang’e the Moon Goddess: From Toad Curse to Tang Dynasty Icon (The Original Frog Prince?)

Been super busy with home reno and studio move and also the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival! But I am still alive and the best way to prove it is a post that is in typical HFG style that no AI can replicate —fusion and deeply historical. Although plottwist: all images are generated with AI (mostly based on my other images).

OVERVIEW

The story of the frog prince had gone through a few changes in history, from breaking the spell and turned back into a prince after being tossed against the wall to a kiss that broke the spell.

Likewise, the story of the moon goddess which is possibly 2000 years older than the frog prince, went through several changes in the long trajectory of time.

But like the frog prince, she was cursed to becoming an ugly amphibian. Except she was uglier—she turned into a toad!

How Chang’e rose from a toad on the moon to a fairy moon goddess maiden was definitely something we can all learn from in modern branding and storytelling.

And it has all to do with my favour period in Chinese history— the Tang dynasty (7—10th century).

BACKSTORY TIMELINE

AI image generated via Gemini based on another shoot and post I did on Chang e

Chang’e was first recorded in a divination book that was traditionally believed to predate even the famous I-Ching (Book of Change). Although, modern scholarship uncovered that it was actually formed later than Zhou Yi.

Anyway, somewhere in the 5-4th century BCE, she was caught red handed and although her mugshot in this book is nowhere to be found (since the book was lost to time), copies of it were found in later records referencing this incident.

There was an archer named Yi (Da Yi, not Hou Yi as we often confused him with). So he died for 10 days, and she ascended to the moon. Bearing in mind this was quoted around 600CE, of an ancient book that was supposedly lost since th 3rd Century. So we don’t know for sure the exact detail of the original book.

In case you are curious what was this image based on, you can look at the other post I did on Chang e

Somewhere in 3rd century BCE, in a more formalised and traceable record, we saw the full story of the elixir of life stolen from the Queen Mother of the West. and Yi the archer was devastated. Nobody really cared about their relationship.

Finally, in the Eastern Han dynasty some 300-400 years later, her transformation into the toad princess was complete. She had a husband—Yi, and her punishment was to be turned into a toad.

Obviously I’m having too much fun with AI generated image, here’s the original image: Chang e

She was cursed not by a witch, but by a Confucian scientist-scholar. Perhaps as a cautionary tale or perhaps just to exert some social justice for her deed.

COMPARATIVE MORALISING TRANSFORMATION

ok AI was completely on its own for this.

Ah human, often add our own morality and interpretations into fragmented stories or scant information.

Like the story of Chang E, the original frog prince stories in the medieval times 11–14th century had no mention of the frog ever being a man!

So it was like, yea ok Chang E just stole some pills and the frog was just a frog. No biggies no need to overthink it.

Then in renaissance time 16—17th century, the idea that the frog was once a man came into play and some said it was due to some kinda enchantment and in the 1819 (Singaporeans would recognise this year) Grimms’ edition the part on bewitched by a fairy was added.

And 19th century Victorian morality turned it into moral stories where vanity, selfishness and arrogance were the cause of his curse.

So suddenly, what used to be just fun and straight forward stories started to be educationally moralising. It’s like me starting out Hanfu photo shoot as a vanity project and it snowballed into educational craftsmanship research project related to female representation in history.

That escalated ~~quickly~~ slowly but surely.

MID AUTUMN ROMANTICASATION—The Chang E female privilege

Unlike the frog prince where he never got rid of his partial-once-ugly identity. Chang E was completely whitewashed off her OG toad association!

That, is a masterclass on branding and storytelling folks!

By the 7th century, Chinese literati were busy having parties and writing really romantic and poetic stories to entertain each other. I am sure the idea of a maiden turning to a toad would’ve spoilt the mood too much for some rendezvous by the moon with lovely ladies and other companions.

So the story of Chang E focused mainly on her isolation, this damsel in distress on the moon, lonely (probably in need of some company). And it would greatly satisfy the romance in the air during those parties (Tang folks were big on parties)!

So the toad got completely written out of the story even though actually the toad got there first! Even before Chang E was born/created! Ancient Chinese always associated the moon with the toad, and the Sun with the crow.

And because Tang dynasty made it viral to celebrate mid autumn festival, Chang e also became the viral sensation that rode the tides of popularity.

To this day, some 1300 years later, majority of the Chinese who are familiar with the festival would think of Chang E fondly as the beautiful maiden all alone on the Moon cuddling a cute rabbit. Like sailor moon usagi reference (even the Japanese pop culture references and perpetuated it).

And nobody talks about the toad.

The learning point: As proved by the viral Uncle Red 红姐, men can incompletely ignore the fact that you are a toad if you satisfied their fantasies of what they want in a woman.

Likewise, if you are a badass pirate like Zheng Yi Sao, they will say that you are a prostitute even though there were very weak support for that claim (this is another story for another time).

So this mid autumn, I am dedicating this post to the toad.

Also I am doing a bilingual lecture this coming weekend at the Library@Chinatown tracing the historical development of mid autumn and the food related to this. Do sign up if you are intrigued by it, I promise as always you will be surprised by what you hear!