According to Chinese legend, a goddess lives on the moon with the rabbit god, armed with a medicine pestle in search of the elixir of immortality.

The practice of worshipping the rabbit god, usually seated on the back of an animal, came about in Beijing during the later part of the Ming dynasty and it is only in the past few years, with a resurgence of the ancient and traditional arts and crafts of northern China, that it has become more available to the general public, particularly during the Spring Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival which falls on the 15th day of the eight lunar month.