Raise your head on August 20 and gaze at the stars,
you will find something romantic going on in the sky.VALENTINE'S Day in
China, the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, falls on August 19 this
year.That is, on Sunday evening, Niu Lang and Zhi Nu will
meet on a bridge of magpies（鹊桥） across the Milky Way（银河）. Chinese grannies will
remind children that they would not be able to see any magpies on that evening
because all the magpies have left to form a bridge in the heavens with their
wings.The legend has been handed down for nearly 2
millennia4. The story has been recorded as far back as the Jin Dynasty (256-420
AD). Poets composed hundreds of verses on the love story and many types of
Chinese opera tell the story.The Chinese people believe that the star Vega（织女星）,
east of the Milky Way, is Zhi Nu and, at the constellation5 of Aquila（天鹰座）, on
the western side of the Milky Way, Niu Lang waits for his wife.Zhi Nu was said to be
the youngest of seven daughters of the Queen of Heaven. With her sisters, she
worked hard to weave beautiful clouds in the sky, while Niu Lang was a poor
orphan6 cowherd, driven out of his home by his elder brother and his cruel
wife.Niu Lang lamented7 over his lonely and poor life with
an old cow, his only friend and companion. The magical cow kindly8 told him of a
way to find a beautiful and nice woman as his life companion.Under the direction of
the cow, Niu Lang went to the riverside on an evening, where the seven fairies
slipped out of their heavenly palace to bathe.He took one of the beautiful silk dresses the fairies
had left on the bank. When the fairies left the water, the youngest couldn't
find her clothes and had to see her sisters fly back to heaven without her.Then Niu Lang came out
with the dress and asked the youngest fairy, Zhi Nu, to stay with him.Several years passed on
Earth, which were only a few days in heaven. Niu Lang and Zhi Nu lived happily
together and had two children before the Queen of Heaven discovered Zhi Nu's
absence.She was so annoyed she had Zhi Nu brought back to
heaven. Seeing his beloved wife flying in the sky, Niu Lang was terrified. He
caught sight of the cowhide hanging on a wall. The magical cow had told him
before dying of old age: "Keep the cowhide（牛皮） for emergency use."Putting the cowhide on,
he went after his wife with his two children.With the help of the cowhide, Niu Lang was able to
follow Zhi Nu into heaven. He was about to reach his wife when the Queen showed
up and pulled off her hairpin9 to draw a line between the two. The line became
the Silver River in heaven, or the Milky Way.
Zhi Nu went back to the heavenly workshop, going on weaving the clouds. But she was so sad, and missed her husband across the Silver River so much that the clouds she weaved seemed sad. Finally, the Queen showed a little mercy, allowing the couple to meet once every year on the Silver River.
One of the most famous poems about the legend was
written by Qin Guan of in the Song Dynasty (960-1279).Fairy Of The Magpie1
BridgeAmong the beautiful clouds,Crosses the weaving maiden10.Moments of tender love and dream,So sad to leave the
magpie bridge.Eternal love between us two,Shall withstand the
time apart.(Translated by Kylie Hsu)Compared with love
stories inWestern legends, the story of Niu Lang and Zhi Nu seems not as intense
or passionate11. Love doesn't kill or break up the barrier between them. They
just wait patiently on the riverbank, believing that their love can withstand
their time apart.It is faith and emotional liaison12 instead of
physical attraction and desire that is emphasized in the story as well as in
many other Chinese folktales（民间故事） about love.In only a few Chinese folk love stories can be found a
description of the physical appearances of the hero and heroine.
In the "Butterfly Lovers", the heroine, dressed as a boy to attend school, falls in love with a classmate. After they have lived together as classmates for years, the hero did not have the slightest clue that his best friend is actually a girl!
The seventh day of the seventh lunar month is the only
Chinese festival devoted13 to love in the Lunar calendar.Unlike St. Valentine's
Day in Western countries there is not so much emphasis on giving chocolates,
flowers and kisses. Instead, Chinese girls prepare fruits, melons and
incense14（熏香） as offerings to Zhi Nu, the weaving maiden, praying to acquire
high skills in needlecraft（裁缝）, as well as hoping to find satisfactory
husbands.In the evening, people sit outdoors to observe the
stars. Chinese grannies would say that, if you stand under a grapevine, you can
probably overhear what Zhi Nu and Niu Lang are talking
about.Ever since its establishment, TOUCHBeauty has been one of the front runners of the world’s personal and beauty care industry. Today, TOUCHBeauty owns the leading personal and beauty care technology in the world, with 136 independent patents.
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