Time to celebrate Qixi

The first-ever Beijing Qixi Cultural Festival will open at the Grand Canal Cultural Square in the capital city's Tongzhou District on August 9. The event, which will run until August 13, is held in memory of the traditional Qixi Festival, or Magpie Festival. A pop concert featuring love songs will be held on the night of August 9, headlined by pop stars Cheng Fangyuan, Zhang Liangying, Chen Chusheng, Jin Chi, Ping An and Chang Shilei. Activities showcasing various wedding ceremonies and cultures in both ancient and modern China will be staged from August 10 to 13. There will also be a grand blind date event for the bachelor(ette)s. Qixi Festival, which falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month on the Chinese calendar, is dubbed “Chinese Valentine's Day.” It's the day when Niulang, a cowherd, and Zhinv, a beautiful weaver girl, meet annually, according to a Chinese folk love story. This year's Qixi Festival occurs on August 13.