Chang’e was married to Houyi, a hero who shot down nine suns. A god gave Houyi a small bottle of medicine. Whoever drank it would live forever.
One night, while Houyi was away, a bad man came to their house. He wanted the medicine for himself. Chang’e knew he would do terrible things with it, so she grabbed the bottle and drank every drop.
Her body grew light. She floated up through the roof, past the trees, past the clouds. She could not stop. She went all the way to the moon, and she is still there today, with only a white rabbit for company.
Every Mid-Autumn Festival, people look at the moon and think of Chang’e. She lives forever — but she lives alone.
Many countries tell stories about people who wanted to live forever. In Greece, King Tithonus asked the gods for eternal life, but he forgot to ask for youth. He grew older and older and could not die. In old Iraq, Gilgamesh travelled far to find a plant that could stop death, but a snake stole it from him.
Question:
Do you know a story like this from your country?
Would you want to live forever? Why, or why not?