Festival of love, not commerce

In popular Chinese folktale The Cowherd and the Weaver Maid, two devoted lovers separated by the Queen Mother of the Western Heavens could reunite only on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. In the evening of that special day, or Qixi, magpies would form a bridge across the Silver River (symbolizing the Milky Way) that separated the lovers to reunite them once a year.

Today, a bouquet of fresh roses, a dinner at a fancy restaurant or an expensive gift is needed to bring lovers closer. No wonder, in the run-up to Qixi Festival (which falls on Aug 2 this year) major shopping malls and restaurants flooded the market with special promotions such as tickets or dinner for couples. It seems that love nowadays can only be measured with money - the more a person spends on his/her partner, the greater will be the depth of his/her love.

It is not uncommon to find good restaurants fully booked, long queues at ticket windows in cinemas and hike in flower and bouquet prices during Qixi Festival. In fact, media reports say that prices of flowers and bouquets are increased by up to 50 percent during Qixi Festival and Valentine's Day every year in major Chinese cities.