年轻情侣们一起度过七夕

一年一度的七夕又来了，你想好怎么来渡过了吗？如同神话故事的牛郎织女，今天年轻的情侣们也会在一起渡过这特殊的一天。

Monday, August 16 marks '2010 Qixi Jie,' usually known as the 'Chinese Valentine's Day,' even though its origins differ greatly from its western counterpart in that the Chinese legend, instead, pays homage to a married couple with kids.Some in China lament that the younger generation doesn't understand Qixi, because many celebrate it like February 14 or don't bother at all. But some youngsters say the old tradition has lost its luster and they'd prefer to integrate it with something new.

Andrea Hunt has more:

Originally, Qixi Jie was revered for motivating young girls seeking romance to show off their delicate handiwork in the hope of securing a good husband. Like many legends and fairytales, the story is centuries old and involves two ill-fated lovers.

Ms. Rebecca Xu is an HR & Administrative Manager in Beijing and explains the gist of the legend that still marks the seventh day of the seventh lunar month every year.

"God's seventh daughter fell in love with a very poor guy and they got married, but they can only meet for one day every year."

Zhinu was known for her magnificent weaving that intertwined clouds and rainbows, while Niulang was a handsome cow herder. One day, he mischievously stole her clothes while she bathed by the river and convinced her to marry him since he had seen her naked.

When her family found out that he was a mere mortal, they sent the maid to the Harp constellation and the herder to the Eagle constellation, divided by the vast Milky Way in between.

Despite the romantic notions of the story, it seems a lot of young people are more interested in the western Valentine's Day, says Ms. Xu.

"For that day, people all over the world know February 14, but for this day, only old Chinese know, I don't think young people in China care about that day."

But Nanjing University Masters student Mr. Li Zhi from Zhejiang disagrees

"It's kind of important for the young people, it's the perfect day for getting to know each other and if they are at the beginning of love."

Ms. Mavis Liu is a CFO Assistant in Beijing and suggests one reason that Qixi isn't as popular is perhaps because it doesn't get the same degree of attention, she says.

"The fashion, the media, some magazines, newspapers, or posters or whatever, they see Valentine's Day, Western Valentine's Day approaching, most of the media advertise."

Some, like Mr. Luo Kai, who is a Software & System Integration Engineer in Beijing, say the real problem isn't lack of enthusiasm. He and his girlfriend work a lot and aren't usually in the same city on this day.

"I think that day is very important, but we don't have the chance usually for this. I think if we're in Beijing someday, we have the chance to celebrate and we'll have a very good dinner. "

Actually, this year is different for Secretary Ms. Rona Zeng who lives in Shanghai, but isn't usually a fan of the holiday.

"We don't often celebrate this day, we would prefer St. Valentine's Day, the 14th of February, but this year, this Chinese Valentine's Day is very special for me. It's my wedding anniversary and it's very special, we'll celebrate this day."

This year, Mr. Li Zhi will be traveling from Nanjing to the nearby city of Taizhou for something a bit different that he hopes will be fun.

"About 2 weeks ago, I was asked for a dating show, people don't know each other and they put on a mask. There's a line with ten or fifteen girls in the sketch and the boys pick up some girls and they go for some games and they find out which one is right one for them."

Mr. Li Zhi says that for many couples, holidays like these are important, because actions speak louder than words in Chinese culture.

"I think probably most of Chinese people aren't so romantic. We are more subtle, even when we love a person, we usually do something to let them know that we have fallen in love with her, not directly say 'I love you." Probably Chinese people, we express our feelings not so directly."

Beijing resident and make-up artist Yang Lin has been with her Dutch boyfriend for two years. However, this is the first year they will be able to spend Qixi together.

"He's come to visit me from Holland, so it's been a long time and now we are together again. So we need to have a day like that."

Her boyfriend, Simon Van Den Hanenberg, is a student in Amsterdam, and admits he knows nothing about Qixi, but he sees it as rather more meaningful than the more commercial Valentine's Day.

"I think it's going to be nice, when I have a girlfriend and I'm in my own country I don't really care about Valentine's Day. But here, it's different. I think it's important to her that I remember the day, and I guess I'll be a good boy so there will be some flowers and some chocolates I guess!"

Many girls do admit enjoying the opportunity to have dinner and watch a movie with their boyfriend or husband, whether they are celebrating the traditional festival or not, and Ms. Mavis Liu points out that flowers and chocolates don't hurt either.

Mr. Li Zhi adds that Monday, August 16 is valuable for other reasons too.

"I think it's very worth keeping these traditional festivals because it's like treasure passed from other generations, we know more about history and what they think about love and I think it's very romantic, more Chinese."

The question remains in any culture of how to keep tradition alive while presenting it to the younger generation so that they will appreciate it.

Perhaps this blending of eastern and western cultures or holidays is inevitable, but when the new generation blends traditions, does something get lost along the way?

For CRI, I'm Andrea Hunt