"Far away the Cowherd star, Brightly shines the Weaving Maid..." The legend of the Cowherd and the Weaving Maid meeting on the Milky Way — Qixi, is the most romantic of traditional Chinese festivals. Nowadays, Qixi has become synonymous with "Chinese Valentine’s Day." On such a traditional yet fashionable occasion, how will modern-day lovers spend the day? Will it be yet another consumption day wrapped in chocolate and roses, or another day of longing across mountains and rivers? How can we fully embrace the Chinese essence of Qixi?
Your own Valentine’s Day is the best.
Qixi Festival originates from a beautiful love legend and is the most romantic among all traditional Chinese festivals. Gazing at the night sky, throughout history, how many have yearned for true love and dreamed of their future? And how many poets and writers have used the legend to express deep human emotions. But now, with the introduction of the Western Valentine’s Day to China, how many still remember their own traditional romantic festival?
February 14th, the Western Valentine’s Day, follows the classic trilogy of chocolates, dinner, and movies. But this is a cultural tradition of the West — we can try it out, but it’s hard to truly grasp the cultural feeling behind it. In fact, Qixi was originally the Chinese Valentine’s Day, with a millennia-old cultural heritage that no imported festival can rival. Instead of imitating others, why not celebrate a Valentine’s Day that honors love and carries our own cultural essence?
Celebrating Qixi is not just about treating it as a Chinese Valentine’s Day, but also about inheriting and promoting its various customs and cultural richness. It is also an expression of the Chinese people's reverence for their own culture. We should not only celebrate Qixi, but celebrate it with genuine Chinese flavor.
Meet in Jingxi for Love on Qixi
On Qixi, there is a gathering in Jingxi — the Jingxi Embroidered Ball Festival — held in the name of love.
The embroidered ball has long been a token of love among the people of the Zhuang ethnic group, and on Qixi, it becomes a messenger of love, witnessing your romance.
Qixi is the most romantic of China’s traditional festivals and was the most cherished day for young women in the past. The culture of Qixi celebrates unwavering marital love, reflects people’s yearning and pursuit of ideal romance, and promotes fine traditional virtues of the Chinese nation, embodying a strong sense of responsibility — different from the more romantically focused love view in Western culture. Over time, it has gradually evolved into China’s Valentine’s Day.
Jingxi, a picturesque border town in Guangxi and the hometown of the embroidered ball, where this token of love has a history of over a thousand years. During the Spring Festival or the traditional March 3rd Singing Festival, Zhuang youths would gather outdoors to play the embroidered ball game, and many couples were formed through this activity. Today, the embroidered ball has become a mascot of Guangxi’s Zhuang region, serving as a cultural envoy that conveys love, kinship, and friendship.
One is a festival for lovers to meet, the other is a token of affection between couples. Their encounter is simply for "love" — when golden winds meet jade-like dew, their joy surpasses countless worldly pleasures.
Traditional Qixi: Experience Full Chinese Flavor at the Jingxi Embroidered Ball Festival
"Since it’s Chinese Valentine’s Day, of course it should be celebrated with authentic Chinese charm."
As Qixi approaches, while businesses may be gearing up for promotions, the beautiful town of Jingxi is carefully preparing a Valentine’s feast that is rich in Chinese flavor yet still trendy. Enjoy the Old Town cultural show, learn to make love-filled embroidered balls, take a romantic borderland tour, experience the romantic night at Longtan, and join the rock music festival... Bring your loved one. On August 2nd, the Jingxi Embroidered Ball Festival invites you to a grand celebration of love on Valentine’s Day.