Known as Chinese Valentine's Day, the Qixi Festival, or Qiqiao Festival, is a traditional festival that celebrates the date when two lovers in Chinese mythology—Zhinü, a weaver maid, and Niulang, a cowherd—met once a year. The festival this year falls on August 14.

Valentine's Day is for everyone, whether you have your sweetheart or not. Those who don't can also feel the festive atmosphere. In ancient China, the Qiqiao Festival was also adored by unmarried girls. They offered fruit, flowers, sewing kits and incense to the two lovers and begged the gods for good skills in craftsmanship and a good marriage. In the coming days, Guangzhou will host a series of activities and exhibitions, most of which will be broadcast live on mobile phone due to the COVID-19 pandemic, to greet this sweet day. Don’t miss it and wish you have a special valentine's day.

Live streaming

Scan the code below to watch the live streaming (in Chinese).

1.Worship ceremony of Qiniang

Worshiping Qiniang is an important ritual during the festival. It is said that Qiniang or Zhinü is a deity who protects children from danger when they are growing up, so people thank Qiniang for what she has done for the children, as part of the festival.

Time: 9:00-17:00, from August 9 to 15

（Photo: Nanfang Daily)

2.Canton Tower Light Show

Time: 19:30-20:30, August 14

3.Hanfu Show

Many Han Chinese clothing lovers will gather together at Guangzhou’s Baomo Garden, a Lingnan historic building built in Qing dynasty, to greet the upcoming Qixi festival.?

Date: August 14

（Photo: Nanfang Daily)

4.Chinese Porcelain Exhibition

The Oriental Color Ink Art Museum will exhibit a series of porcelain and oil paintings, bringing a feast of pleasing colors during the Qixi Festival.

Time: 10:00, from August 9 to 15

Off-line activities

1.Qixi handcrafts Exhibitions

Displaying handicrafts is the most popular activity of the festival. Women demonstrate dexterity by creating handicrafts that are made from ordinary ingredients such as peanuts, rice, beans, red dates, and longans, as well as from materials including wood, cloth, stone and iron. Visitors can admire and even buy some small exquisite things as gifts to express their deepest romantic yearnings.

Places: Canton Tower, Grandview Plaza, and Oriental Plaza

Date: from August 9 to 15

（Photo: Nanfang Daily)

Additionally, tourists to the Canton Tower can also walk to the opposite bank of the Pearl River through the newly opened Haixin Bridge on June 25. It is worth noting that Haixin Bridge is open from 7:00 to 23:00 by appointment only, with a capacity of 2500 visitors per hour.

Link: How to book a walk on Haixin Bridge in Guangzhou

Author: Ariel

Editor: Monica, Jerry