What´s the first thing which comes into your mind when thinking about Valentine´s day???
LOVE, ROSES, HEARTS, …. Sooooo romantic 🙂
But what do I have to expect in a very new environment and culture? Well let´s find out together…
Chinese people also celebrate Valentine’s Day on the 14th of February. So it´s basically the same ritual than in Germany and most other Western Countries. Still, they also have their own traditional day. Qixi Festival or the Seventh Eve is celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh Lunar month – which is usually in August. The holiday comes from a traditional old story about a love tragedy that has been passed down from one generation to another.
Listen to this: It´s about the romantic love story of Niu Lang and Zhi Nu. Niu Lang was actually told by a cow, his only friend, to find his way to the beautiful Zhi Nu. The magical cow told him to make his way to the riverside where Zhi Nu (a young fairy) and her six sisters had a bath. He took one of the beautiful silk dresses of the girls and hid behind bushes. When they came out of the water the youngest couldn´t find her dress anymore. Then, Niu Lang came out with her beautiful dress and asked her to stay with him. Several years passed and the two still live happily together. From then on both of them meet on a bridge of magpies every year on the seventh eve. So raise your head, you will find romantic going on in the sky 🙂
Awwwwwww how sweet is that :)! The only question which came into my mind: How can she think that it is nice if a guy steels her clothes????
Anyways, the annual gift giving which is commonly associated with Valentine’s Day doesn’t take place in China. So to all of the foreign Girls which live in China – DO NOT WAIT FOR A ROSE, CHOCOLATE OR ANY OTHER GIFT! This will have a tragic end 🙂
But also in China there are several charming customs associated with this romantic day for lovers. On the Chinese Valentine’s Day, people in love like to go to the temple of Matchmaker and pray for their love and the possible marriage in China. So still there is lots of Love in the air 🙂 And the people which are still single will do the same thing but they will ask for their luck of love in the Matchmaker temple. And maybe they will even find another lonely person right next to them. You never know, right :)!!
Jula 🙂
Everyone knows the emblem of Zhuhai – the fisher girl. But why is she there and what is she holding in her hands like a trophy?
Legend has it that an angel descended to earth one day and fell in love with the beauty of the land. Zhuhai is such a beautiful city – today it is still one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen in China. In every street you can find trees and there are a lot of green parks in Zhuhai city.
Reluctant to return, she turned herself into a fisher girl, weaving nets and searching for precious pearls to earn a living. In addition, she unselfishly used her knowledge and powers to heal villagers who were ill, and so was well loved by one and all.
Soon she met a young fisherman named Hai Peng and they fell in love. Not long after, however, Hai Peng heard and believed malicious accusations, and demanded the fisher girl to give him her magical bracelets as proof of her affection.
The fisher girl tearfully explained the origin of the bracelets. While she was still the daughter of the South Sea Dragon King, the eight bracelets were given to her by the eight palace mistresses, to guard her against the thought of abandoning immortality. She would die if she even removed one. Tragically, Hai Peng did not believe her story and turned to leave. The fisher girl, to prove her love for Hai Peng, removed her bracelets and died in his arms instantly. Hai Peng was filled with remorse and grief.
His great sorrow moved the Elder Jiu Zhou Huan, who taught him the way to bring the fisher girl back to life. For this he had to travel to the Jiu Zhou Island to find the Resurrection Grass, which must then be fed with the blood of man. After much difficulty, Hai Peng found the grass and grew it with his own blood. Days turned to years, and the grass was finally ready and used to revive the fisher girl. Henceforth, the fisher girl became a true mortal. On the day of their wedding, all the girls together found a gigantic, magical pearl at the seashore. In gratitude, the fisher girl presented this to the reverent Elder.
A beautiful love story which happened in our City. Today you can visit her at the beautiful coastal side of Zhuhai. Buy a fresh coconut and walk along the romantic Lovers Road. You can also find a lot of small souvenirs like the statue of the fisher girl everywhere in Zhuhai.
If you want to come and see the Zhuhai Fisher Girl then apply now!
Source: http://wikitravel.org/en/Zhuhai
Image ‘Zhuhai Fisher Girl’ Source: http://www.chinafacttours.com/zhuhai/attractions/fisher-girl-statue.html