Niu Lang lamented over his lonely and poor life with an old cow, his only friend and companion. The magical cow kindly 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 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 hairpin 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 yearon the Silver River.
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 incenseas offerings to Zhi Nu, 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 Nu and Niu Lang are talking about.

The traditional festivals, which embody the unique spirit and affections and feelings of the Chinese nation and reflect Chinese civilization, are an important factor for the promotion of national unity, solidarity among the people of different ethnicities and social harmony.

At a time of cultural globalization in the world, the revival of traditional festivals will help boost Chinese traditional culture, easy and friendly personal relations and harmonious social environment, and will help build cohesive affinity among the Chinese nation promoting reunification across the Taiwan Straits.

At an international seminar on intangible cultural heritage just concluded at HuaZhong Normal University, Liu Zongdi, research fellow with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, presented materials to prove that in ancient minds the seventh day of the seventh month is by no means an auspicious day for marital matters. Days for lovers in ancient China are also set in spring when everything is full of vigor and vitality, he said.