The Jade Hare Pounds Medicine in a Mortar

This is a Daoist story that was first recorded in the Yuefu poetry ( 樂府 Yuefu ) of the Han dynasty. In the story, a jade hare, the nickname of a white hare, was living on the moon where, on her knees, she was pounding medicine, which would help the takers become immortals. Since then, the story became so popular that ancient Chinese used 'jade hare' as the nickname of the moon. The practice went into ancient poetry, too. Mid-autumn, a poem composed by Xin Qiji, was an example. The metaphor was also seen in ancient stories. In Daoism, however, the 'jade hare' was paralleled by the 'golden raven' in alchemical refinement, highlighting the harmonious relationship between 'Yin' and 'Yang'. 玉兔搗藥