Between Heaven and Earth

Chinese legends, like their Western counterparts, illustrate peoples’ concerns, values and traditions. The divine powers, mythical figures and magic potions they describe all appeal to our imaginations. Between Heaven and Earth, a visual fairy tale setting inspired by two Chinese legends, tells the passionate love stories of Chang E, a young orphan girl, and of Yu Nu, the daughter of the Dragon King.

Chang E flies up to the Moon

This legend dating back over 2,000 years tells of the love between Yi, the celestial archer, and Chang E, a young mortal orphan girl. Yi, a skilled bowman, was ordered by the celestial Emperor to come to the assistance of Yao, the terrestrial Emperor, and shoot down nine of the ten suns that were scorching the Earth. He spared one sun, for the benefit of humans, animals and plants. He became a hero to the people and decided to remain on Earth. There Yi fell in love with Chang E, and refused to leave her to return to Heaven.

In order for him to live for ever with his wife, the valiant Yi accomplished 1,000 feats and was granted an extremely rare pill of immortality by the Queen Mother of the West, who lived in the Kunlun Mountains. She told him that he and his beloved must share it – but one day, by mistake, Chang E swallowed the whole pill herself. Whoever took the entire magic tablet would be drawn up to Heaven forever, with no hope of returning. So it was that Chang E floated up to the Moon all alone.

Since then the Moon has shone especially bright and, because of Chang E, it is rounder and whiter than ever on the fifteenth of each lunar month.

Yu Nu descends to Earth

This legend tells the story of Yu Nu, daughter of the Dragon King, who was so fascinated by Earthly life that she came down from Heaven to live here, disguised as a fisherman’s daughter.

A fisherman named Hai Peng fell in love with Yu Nu and wanted to marry her. But people in the village whispered that she was no ordinary fisherman’s daughter. Hai Peng grew tired of the rumours and ordered the young woman to remove the lovely bracelet that she always wore. When Yu Nu took off the bracelet, she died instantly, for it was actually a talisman that protected her while she was on Earth.

Hai Peng was struck with such sorrow that an immortal, touched by his inconsolable grief, offered to concoct a magic potion that would bring his beloved back to life. When Hai Peng was told that fresh blood was needed to grow a herb for the potion, he immediately offered his own. Once the elixir was ready, the fisherman had Yu Nu drink it, and she came back to life. The couple was finally able to wed, and lived happily ever after.

In the port of the city of Zhuhai, in Quangdong province in southern China, a statue of Yu Nu evokes this popular legend.