Wu Gang
Encyclopedia
Wu Gang, or Wu Kang, is a character in Chinese folklore
Chinese folklore
Chinese folklore includes songs, dances, puppetry, and tales. It often tells stories of human nature, historical or legendary events, love, and the supernatural, or stories explaining natural phenomena and distinctive landmarks.-Folktales:...

 and Taoism
Taoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...

. He is known for endlessly cutting down a self-healing Bay Laurel
Bay Laurel
The bay laurel , also known as sweet bay, bay tree, true laurel, Grecian laurel, laurel tree, or simply laurel, is an aromatic evergreen tree or large shrub with green, glossy leaves, native to the Mediterranean region. It is the source of the bay leaf used in cooking...

 on the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...

. The story has often been associated with the Mid-Autumn Festival
Mid-Autumn Festival
The Mid-Autumn Festival , also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival or Zhongqiu Festival, is a popular lunar harvest festival celebrated by Chinese and Vietnamese people. A description of the festival first appeared in Rites of Zhou, a written collection of rituals of the Western Zhou...

. The reason for this remains unclear, although different versions offer several explanations.

The Book of the Master of Huainan, in the Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...

, records that when the Moon wax
Wax
thumb|right|[[Cetyl palmitate]], a typical wax ester.Wax refers to a class of chemical compounds that are plastic near ambient temperatures. Characteristically, they melt above 45 °C to give a low viscosity liquid. Waxes are insoluble in water but soluble in organic, nonpolar solvents...

es, the foot of an immortal grows into a laurel. However, Wu Gang was not mentioned there.

Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang
Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang
The Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang is a miscellany of Chinese and foreign legends and hearsay, reports on natural phenomena, short anecdotes, and tales of the wondrous and mundane, as well as notes on such topics as medicinal herbs and tattoos....

records that the tree was over five hundred chi
Chi (unit)
The chi is a traditional Chinese unit of length, approximately equal to one foot. Its length is derived from the length of human forearm and has first appeared during the Shang Dynasty approximately 3000 years ago. Since then it has spread to and adopted by other East Asian cultures, such as...

high, and Wu Gang of Xihe
Xihe
-Places in China:*Xihe County , Gansu*Xihe District , Fuxin, LiaoningTownsWritten as "西河镇":*Xihe, Dabu County, Guangdong*Xihe, Mengshan County, Guangxi*Xihe, Shaoguan, in Wujiang District, Shaoguan, Guangdong*Xihe, Keshan County, Heilongjiang...

 stood under it. It was also recorded that since then, immortals were sent there to chop the laurel when they made a mistake.

In the first version mentioning Wu, Wu saw that his wife and Yandi's grandson had an affair, and had three sons. As a revenge, Wu murdered Yandi's grandson. Consequently, Yandi ordered Wu to be banished to the Moon, where he would cut down a laurel. However, the tree healed itself after each blow. Wu was then forced to attempt to chop the tree forever.

Another version features a cherry bay. Wu Gang wished to learn to become an immortal, but he did not try his best. The Jade Emperor
Jade Emperor
The Jade Emperor in Chinese folk culture, is the ruler of Heaven and all realms of existence below including that of Man and Hell, according to a version of Taoist mythology. He is one of the most important gods of the Chinese traditional religion pantheon...

 was furious, and decided to punish him. The Emperor created a cherry bay on the Moon. Wu Gang was asked to chop it in order to become an immortal. Wu Gang tried to chop the tree but, because of the tree's self-healing abilities, it was impossible. The shadows on the Moon are said to be created by the cherry bay.

In yet another version, Wu wished to be taught the method of eternal life. He found a teacher in the mountains. When his teacher taught him to heal, he gave up after three days. When he was taught to play Chinese chess, he gave up after two days. When he was taught the method of eternal life, he gave up after a day. His teacher sent him to the Moon to chop down a tree of unnamed species.
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