Having digested many Chinese moon fables, I would proffer twopossible reasons for our mothers' concern many moons ago.The woodcutter Wu Gang who supposedly lived on the moon would be the prime suspect for all those cases of ``missing'' ears he wields an axe.  What about the crooked fingers? Probably Chang-Er, the moon goddess, might consider punishing disobedient children. She must have repented for her sin of stealing and drinking her husband's elixir of immortality by now.  Chang-Er and Wu Gang are two immortals in Chinese mythology. Till today they have their fair share of believers even though Man walked on the moon back in 1969.

When television beamed satellite pictures of astronaut Neil Armstrong ``floating'' on the moon with no immortals in sight, did the world of myths and fables collapse?
Where did all the Chinese deities go to? Where's the palace on the moon?  Cynics today would be sniggering at the oft-told moon-related Chinese myths.  But, said a geomancer, if people still enjoy Alice in Wonderland and Journey to the Centre of the Earth, why can't some of them still believe in
deities and immortals on the moon?

He declined to comment on whether the lunar landing by the Apollo 11 mission had debunked Chinese mythology. 
``Moon worship is a very private thing,'' he said. He feels that among the Chinese, some things are done and some beliefs perpetuated with ``hope'' in mind.

Chinese brush painter Chong Buck Tee, 49, has often waxed lyrical about the moon in his paintings though he is no moon worshipper.  ``Moonlit scenery denotes romanticism,'' said the artist.
``Praying to the moon or rather Chang-E is but a Chinese custom that has been handed down the generations.''

Rather than question the logic of the belief, the Chinese community has just been following what their forefathers did.  Man having landed on the moon, said Chong, would not influence moon
worship at all.  He feels that the historic event succeeded in ``silencing'' those who spun yarns of denizens on the moon.

Lee Yip Lim, 60, research fellow of Huazi Resource and Research Centre Bhd, said the moon is usually full and bright during the Mid-Autumn Festival (also known as the Mooncake Festival).

In ancient times, people regarded the full moon as a symbol of reunion.  The common folk and emperors worshipped and enjoyed viewing the moon.  The tradition of worshipping the moon was observed on a broader scale during the Soong, Ming and Qing dynasties. It was customary to set up a table laden with mooncakes, pomegranates and dates in open air. After prostrating themselves before the moon, the people would sit with their families to enjoy viewing the moon, eating and chatting.  Lee said the moon landing by the Americans was a ``scientific milestone'' but as a schoolboy, he had read that ``the moon is a dark planet devoid of life.''  He added: ``It came as no surprise that the astronauts found no life on the moon. My wife and I still pray to the moon because it is a Chinese custom.
``The Mooncake Festival signifies the celebration of family union andhappiness. The atmosphere is one of harmony.''
As a child, Lee was told that beautiful Chang-Er, who wore colourful traditional gowns and was a great dancer, lived on the moon. Folks worship her hoping to have their wishes fulfilled.
``Woodcutter Wu Gang was Chang-Er's helper and friend. He cooked and brewed wines for her. On the night when he cuts trees, the moon would be brightly lit.''
Former nurse Khong Kim, 61, used to be a moon worshipper like her mother.  But after her husband passed away in 1974, she stopped paying homage to the moon.
``I wasn't in the mood and just stopped,'' she said. ``It had nothing to do with Apollo 11. It was just a Chinese tradition.''

During the Mid-Autumn Festival (which falls on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar and which will fall on Sept 24 this year),worshippers will have their altars filled with pomeloes, peanuts, fatt koh (steamed sponge cakes), fresh flowers and the inevitable mooncakes all for Chang-Er.  Khong recalled superstitions attached to moon worshipping: ``If you desire to have flawless skin, you have to cut the pomelo in front of the moon. The peeling away of the thick pomelo skin (riddled with tiny dimples) signifies peeling away facial scars or pimples. ``Some Chinese also believe that when you peel off the skin of boiled mini yams (wu chai in Cantonese), you get rid of facial imperfections.''  Peanuts and sponge cakes are auspicious offerings in the hope for ``good health.'' The cakes are also a favourite food of the deities and are said to be excellent offerings for upward mobility.

Khong's 30-year-old son, Eric Tan, a business development manager, said despite Man having set foot on the moon, the Chinese would not be convinced to stop celebrating the Mooncake Festival.
``It is a time of fun and merry-making for adults and children.''

Those not familiar with Chinese moon tales can mull over these:
l The rabbit pounding the elixir of immortality with a pestle and mortar underneath a grove of cassia trees is a popular lunar creature.  Some folkloric paintings show Chang-E clutching the furry creature as she floats to the sky. Legend has it that her husband, divine archer Hou Yi, summoned the rabbit to be his wife's companion for those lonely days at the cold moon palace.  She rose to the moon after drinking a magic potion and became an immortal.

I The potion, the elixir of life, was a reward from the Queen Mother of the West to Hou Yi for shooting nine out of 10 suns in the sky.  There is also a belief that Chang-E metamorphosed into a three-legged toad
after reaching the moon.

l Woodcutter Wu Gang was punished by the Jade Emperor to fell a cassia tree for his wrongdoings while studying to be an immortal. But it was an impossible task as the tree never dies it would re-grow after each felling.

l Matchmaker Yuexialaoyren is ``the old man in the moon.'' Many tourists, young couples especially, adore posing with his sculpture in Repulse Bay, Hong Kong. He is said to preside over all earthly marriages. In some folklores, he is depicted as playing chess with the God of Longevity in a
mountain cave.

l The eight immortals leave the moon palace during mid-autumn night in a dragon boat. Whoever catches sight of them can turn whatever objects they touch into gold. Thus in ancient days folks would gaze at the moon hoping for the Midas touch.

l The eclipse of the moon was a bad celestial sign in the old days. The Chinese believed that the Heavenly Dog was trying to eat up the moon. They would beat drums and gongs to scare the dog away.

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