Editor's Note

Now is the time for love, or at least Qixi Festival, the Chinese Valentine's Day, which falls on August 23. On the Chinese lunar calendar, the seventh day of the seventh month used to be a time when young women hoped for domestic skills and art, particularly weaving.

The festival is based on a traditional Chinese legend that on one night each year, Zhi Nü, a weaver and daughter of the Emperor of Heaven, is allowed to meet her husband Niu Lang, a mortal and cowherd, on the Milky Way.

As these stories have been told and retold, meanings have become blurred. But most people simply use this tradition to spend a romantic day together and demonstrate their love to their sweetheart.

Romantic  Story

Chinese ceremonies

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 incense as offerings to Zhi Nü, the weaving maiden, praying to acquire high skills in needlecraft, 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 Nü and Niu Lang are talking about.

Sweet  love

	The couple from Shandong greets their 83rd Qixi Festival Gong Deyun (L) and his wife Sun Yucui thread Qingguo, a hand-made traditional food, at home in Rushan, east China's Shandong Province, Aug. 21, 2012. The 99-year-old Gong Deyun and 102-year-old Sun Yucui married each other in 1930. Their 82-year-long marriage has witnessed their lifetime love. The couple will greet their 83rd Qixi Festival, or Chinese Valentine's day, on Aug. 23.
	Couples kiss underwater to celebrate Chinese Valentine's Day A young couple kiss each other in water at the sea world in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, Aug. 22, 2012. Seven couples dived into water and kissed each other in a sea world in Wuhan, as a romantic method to celebrate the upcoming Chinese Valentine's Day, or Qixi Festival, which falls on Aug. 23 this year.
	College students spread love to migrants for Chinese Valentine's Day A dozen college students in Zhengzhou have pledged to book 200 hotel rooms so the families of migrant workers can come together for the Chinese Valentine's Day, or Qixi Festival, which falls on Aug. 23 this year. The idea came to the 12 undergraduates majoring in construction and engineering at Zhengzhou Jiaotong University after they finished a month-long part-time job at a construction site, where they worked with migrant laborers every day.
	Couples in long-distance love meets together Most of the couples in long-distance love can only talk to each other in phone in usual time. On Chinese Valentine's Day, they take trains to meet their lovers and speak out their love face to face.

Photo gallery - Love transcends time, exists forever (Source: Xinhua):

Commercial  Love

●Chinese Valentine's Day faces paradox of rising commercialization

Florists and folklorists are debating whether China's traditional Valentine's Day is becoming too commercialized.

●Qixi Festival celebrated by retailers and academics alike

While China's retailers are welcoming shopping sprees for the upcoming Qixi Festival, some experts believe the public should view the Chinese Valentine's Day from a more historical perspective.

Online retailers offer discounts for Valentines gifts.	Customers pay more money for the flowers this day.
Chocolates are on sale in the supermarkets.	Online games provide special awards to players.

Special  Gifts

As surprises are irresistible for men and women, special occasions like Qixi are a great time to purchase a creative gift for your significant other.
	Live fireflies If you live in the bustling metropolis, you can still imagine a peaceful, countryside night with your partner, with fireflies dancing around you. On China's popular online shopping website taobao.com, live fireflies have become recent hot items. Fireflies are sold by the number, though each shop may set a minimum requirement of 20 fireflies.
	Homestar projector A special projector will help you see a starry sky regardless of how polluted or smoggy it is outside. Designed by Japanese company Sega Corporation, the projector, when charged with electricity, projects a three-meter diameter round image onto the ceiling or wall, making you feel like you are in space.
	Capturing the sun  Feel lonely and cold at night? Feel guilty because you cannot be by your lover's side? The Sun Jar, developed by Suck UK, delivers sunlight for a mere 20 pounds ($31.42).  Though simple and small, it contains the "sun" for your significant other.
	Bank of Love If you think money is the only thing you can put in a bank, you're wrong. The Bank of Love now provides a place for you to deposit your love. It may seem silly for adults, but it's a cute concept if one is not averse to being childish. Resembling a normal deposit book you get from a bank, a set includes one deposit book and two check books, one for each partner.