Fengxian promotes family values on Qixi Festival

Qixi Festival, the Chinese Valentine’s Day, falls on Saturday, and Fengxian District is promoting traditional family culture.

They include “literati gathering” bazaars, group weddings, art exhibitions, and performances.

Visitors to Xidu Subdistrict’s bazaar on Thursday experienced Qixi rituals like stitching, facial decoration, sachet making, and touhu (an arrow-throwing game).

They felt the timeless charm of intangible cultural heritage and traditional craft at their fingertips at the lacquer fan and gold painting stalls.

A love-themed art exhibition was also presented. It contains festival-related intangible cultural assets and interactive exhibits, creating a cultural feast with a clever mix of tradition and digital technology.

The festival-themed itinerant exhibition will visit Bailian Nanqiao Shopping Mall in Fengxian throughout the weekend.

A 2,000-year-old legend about two lovers inspired the festival, which happens on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month in China.

The Silver River (the Milky Way) separated cowherd Niulang and weaver fairy Zhinu, who were forbidden by the gods to love. They only saw each other once a year when magpies bridged the river.

“Qixi bears all the romantic imagination of me on traditional Chinese culture and it is a very beautiful day,” a bride surnamed Li said.