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I understand that in English, people refer to her as the Moon Goddess, but I am curious about the original Chinese belief. After she consumed the elixir of immortality from Xi Wangmu (西王母) and ascended to the Moon, would she be considered a deity (神) or an immortal (仙)?
From what I have heard, in Chinese belief, becoming a deity (神) is relatively easier—an ordinary person who lives a virtuous life and upholds moral conduct may become a deity after death (similar to devas in the Kāma realm in Buddhist cosmology). On the other hand, becoming an immortal (仙) requires long-term cultivation, meditation, and rigorous spiritual training.
What Chang’e became seems to resemble a combination of both paths, so I am not entirely sure what she should truly be classified as.
If anyone knowledgeable about Chinese mythology, or any Chinese friends, could clarify this for me, I would greatly appreciate it.