"Peaches of Immortality"
■ · By Philip Chow · Published 2022-05-21T03:43:37.024Z
Constructor's Note
This is my submission for Crosshare's monthly midi contest May 2022 (theme: myth) - I hope you enjoy 
Checking for previous play data...
1A
According to Chinese myth, the ___ Emperor held a race and decreed that the years on the calendar would be named for each animal in the order they reached him (4 of the 12 animals are highlighted in this puzzle)...
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Across
- 1AAccording to Chinese myth, the ___ Emperor held a race and decreed that the years on the calendar would be named for each animal in the order they reached him (4 of the 12 animals are highlighted in this puzzle)...
- 5A...this animal won the race by sneakily riding on the head of the ox and leapt ahead at the finish line, becoming the first animal of the Chinese Zodiac
- 8A"____'s Gold" (film starring Peter Fonda as a beekeeper, which Will Shortz confirms with Ted and his friends on "How I Met Your Mother" that it frequently appears in crossword puzzles "because of all the vowels!")
- 9ABear in "The Jungle Book" who sings "The Bare Necessities"
- 11ANickname of Sun WuKong, whose powers include riding on clouds, immortality, shapeshifting, super strength, and wielding a giant staff that can expand and shrink at his command
- 13AA Shih Tzu or Chow Chow might be one
- 14AShirt size bigger than medium (Abbr.)
- 15ATry some oolong or pu'er, say
- 17ALatin for "I love"
- 18AMahjong piece
- 19AAnime series featuring the hero Goku, who is inspired by 11A, a character in the Chinese novel "Journey to the West"
- 23ALion's hair
- 24AShape of orecchiette pasta
- 25APimple, informally
- 26AReference work (Abbr.) whose entry for "myth" is: A traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events
- 27AStomach muscles, for short
- 30ASteadfast companion of the lunar goddess Chang'e and often depicted with a mortar and pestle pounding away making the elixir of life (this legend is associated with China's Mid-Autumn Festival)
- 33AHome to more than a billion people
- 34AGeneral vicinity
- 35AAccording to Chinese myth, the Big Bang happened when the god Pangu cracked the egg that he was sleeping in. This egg contained ___ and 36A, which then separated...
- 36A...The lighter ___ rose to create the sky, 35A formed earth and Pangu made sure both were held in place with his hands and feet
Down
- 1DFlip or Salchow, in figure skating
- 2DKind of jelly found in some bubble tea shops (hint: crosswordese succulent plant)
- 3DMake a bad impression on?
- 4DShriek when you freak at a squeak …ᘛ⁐̤ᕐᐷ!
- 5DThis term for a long-handled gardening tool can also mean an immoral pleasure seeker
- 6D"___ Baba and the Forty Thieves"
- 7DThroat tissue that may be removed during childhood
- 9DTime long past, such as China's Three Kingdoms Period
- 10DDisney's "Darby ___ and the Little People" (hint: Darby has an Irish surname)
- 12DTicklish "Sesame Street" Muppet
- 16DCandy with collectible dispensers
- 17DTime of your life?
- 18DPaving material
- 19DBuffer along the 38th parallel between North and South Korea where no fighting is allowed (Abbr.)
- 20DSam who directed "Spider-Man," "Spider-Man 2," and "Spider-Man 3"
- 21DLover in a Shakespeare title
- 22D"___ bing, ___ boom" ("Poof! Just like that!")
- 26D"Come ___, the water's fine!"
- 27DStart of a magician's incantation
- 28DPossible reply to either of the two questions: "¿cómo estás?" or "ça va?"
- 29DKind of party
- 31DLatin for "I hate"
- 32DMichael who directed "Transformers," "Revenge of the Fallen," "Dark of the Moon," "Age of Extinction," and "The Last Knight"