By now, you’re bound to have heard someone mention Qixi or Chinese Valentine’s Day. It’s not a made-up holiday (like 11.11) that’s created to encourage you to shop. Qixi Festival is actually rooted in Chinese folklore. It’s a day dedicated to love, romance and a timeless tale of devotion.

Falling on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, this year’s Qixi falls on Fri, Aug 29. Qixi’s origins are far more ancient than those of its Western counterpart. Its story begins over 2,000 years ago with a magical love story. It’s the tale of Zhinü, a skilled weaver and the daughter of the Jade Emperor, and Niulang, a humble but kind-hearted cowherd.

Their paths crossed, love blossomed, and they married, living happily together. But their joy was short-lived. Zhinü’s mother, furious that her daughter had married a mortal, forced her to return to the heavens. Using her hairpin, she scratched a wide river – the Milky Way – across the sky, separating the lovers for eternity.

However, true love has a way of moving the heavens. Moved by the lovers’ devotion, the Jade Emperor took pity on them. He decreed that once a year, on the seventh night of the seventh moon, all the magpies in the world would fly up to form a bridge across the Milky Way, allowing the weaver girl and the cowherd to be reunited for a single, precious night. This is the bridge of stars we see arching across the night sky.

This poignant story of perseverance and annual reunion is why Qixi is celebrated. It’s a day to honor the unwavering bond between Zhinü and Niulang, and by extension, to celebrate one’s own relationships. It’s a reminder that love can bridge any distance.

At its heart, Qixi is a celebration of hope. It’s the belief that no separation is too vast, and that love, in its purest form, will always find a way. So, whether you’re in a relationship or simply a dreamer at heart, take a moment this Qixi to look up at the night sky. Somewhere, high above, two stars are finally meeting again on a bridge built by kindness, reminding us all of the magic that devotion can bring.

To find the perfect Qixi event in Beijing to celebrate this special day, visit our events section by scanning the QR code below.

Images: Freepik

Every year when Chinese Valentine’s – aka QiXi Festival – rolls around, English-language WeChat accounts publish long articles about the holiday’s origins using the same, boring graphics of a boy and a girl in front of a moon on a bridge of birds. Click here if you really want to learn the story behind QiXi.

This year, instead of retelling that myth, Jingkids is sharing some epic real-life love stories.

A modern day love story that is testament to our digital age, Anna Hartley and Charles Pellegrin met on OkCupid. The couple recently welcomed their baby girl. This is their story.

Shu Qi was intrigued by Jacob Wang when she decided to buy some wine from his TMall store. After chatting online for 33 days and their first date, they knew they were meant for each other. This is their story.

Evelyn Figueroa and Oliver Rosenthal‘s family grew in Beijing when they welcomed their baby girl Eline. Here’s the story of the whirlwind romance that brought this couple to Beijing.

Elizabeth Tucker and Kelli Cochran’s story prove that love happens even when you’re not looking for it. The happy couple are now raising a baby girl together in Beijing. Here’s how they met and how their love blossomed.

Svetlana is a Russian native who spent most of her life in Ukraine, while Carlos is from France. From the moment they met, they knew they were meant for each other. This is a story of love at first sight.

Images: Courtesy of interviewees, pexels

It feels like there’s some kind of holiday celebrating romance and love every month in China. Be it May 20 (520), June 18 (618), Qixi, Valentine’s Day, White Valentine’s Day, and basically whatever excuse for a date night out plus major discounts with online shopping.

But historically speaking, Qixi is a bit different than the more recently made up days to celebrate love. Originally known as Qiqiao Festival in the Han Dynasty (202 BCE – 220 CE), Qixi Festival was actually a significant festival for young women, who prayed for skillful hands for sewing, so they would be prepared for marriage. Later, people related it to the tale of star-crossed lovers separated in the night sky by the Milky Way– Zhinu (the weaver girl), a fairy from heaven, and Niulang (a cowherd), an ordinary farm boy. (Visit here to learn more about the tale.)

Date nights are absolutely vital in keeping a long-term relationship alive and fun. Whether you’re into celebrating every holiday on the calendar, or just need an excuse for a date night out, here are our picks for this year’s Qixi celebrations.

Chinese Valentine’s Day at Artyzen Habitat Dongzhimen Beijing

Artyzen Habitat Dongzhimen Beijing is one of those hidden gems that’s sometimes overlooked by foodies. Their restaurant San offers a mix of Asian and Western cuisine. The taste is fantastic, portions are more than generous, and the prices are surprisingly reasonable.

For QiXi, they’ve got a dinner set for two for RMB799 that includes highlights from their brand new menu.

Starter-Smoked Pomfret Fish, Spicy Abalone, Melon, and Grapefruit Salad; Duck Liver Sauce with Caramel, Crisp Bread with Fennel
Soup-Oyster Soup with Mushroom
Main Course-Angus Beef Tenderloin with Pecan, Wasabi and Cheese Prawns, Fried Asparagus with Lily and Agaric
Rice and Noodles-Fried Noodles with Truffle and Hot Spring Egg
Dessert-Osmanthus Sesame Dumplings with Ice Wine, Mango Crisp

Holiday cake DIY
Exclusive cake in a ring box, with the names of you and your beloved one

Special discount for guestroom
Guests who dine on the night can enjoy a night stay in Habitat 40+ King at 40sqm for an additional RMB399

TRB Hutong and TRB Forbidden City

If you’re looking to splurge a bit on QiXi, TRB Hutong and TRB Forbidden City have both created unique 6-course menus just for the special night. For RMB1,588 or RMB 2,288, per person, spend an evening with your partner at one of Beijing’s most romantic restaurants that never fails to deliver an unforgettable memory.

Hulu by TRB

At all three Hulu locations across town, they’re getting into the QiXi celebrations as well. From Aug 1 – 7, they’ve got a limited-time-only set menu that’s inspired by the holiday available all day long. Whether it’s a night out with the love of your life or spending QiXi celebrating the love for your friends, it’s without a doubt, that Hulu is a fun place to go.

Images: Courtesy of restaurants, Pexels

Every year when Chinese Valentine’s – aka QiXi Festival – rolls around, English-language WeChat accounts publish long articles about the holiday’s origins using the same, boring graphics of a boy and a girl in front of a moon on a bridge of birds. Click here if you really want to learn the story behind QiXi.

This year, instead of retelling that myth, Jingkids is sharing some epic real-life love stories.

Once upon a time, before there was Tinder, there was an online dating site called OkCupid. OkCupid believes that you deserve to find who you’re looking for. In the case of Anna Hartley and Charles Pellegrin, OkCupid delivered.

Anna and Charles were both living in Paris when OkCupid introduced them to each other. Anna had been in Paris for two years and was fed up with the dating scene, so she decided to try online dating for fun. Charles had been on OkCupid for two years at that time and was just about to give up hope when he came across Anna’s profile.

Charles: She looked really cool, and her independent spirit really came through. I thought to myself, “This person really knows who she is” and I found that very attractive.

So Anna and Charles went out for a drink at a bar in the Marais, where they talked for hours and hours…

Anna: …and I got no goodbye kiss! I remember walking home in a bit of a daze.

Charles: I knew I was definitely going to see her again so I didn’t kiss her that night. I called her a few days later to set up a second date.

Anna was instantly comfortable with Charles, knowing that their values and aspirations aligned. Plus, as Anna says, “He is so handsome and clever. I had no hope.”

While Charles knew that Anna was special from the get-go, it took him a few months before he realized that she would be the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. “The turning point was a weekend away in Reims where it really dawned on me how amazing she was. I love that she’s able to take in little details from everyday life and turn them into poetry. She’s a constant ray of sunshine.”

When Anna got all of Charles’ friends from around the world to send their well-wishes for his 30th birthday and made it into an amazing video, that was the most romantic gesture that she had ever done for him. For Anna, however, Charles isn’t one big romantic gesture, but “he tells me he loves me every day and shows it in a million little ways like making me breakfast. I am very lucky!”

Anna: “Charles is someone of great integrity. He keeps me grounded when I am worried or scared and is so kind and generous with everyone. He’s also very funny.”

Charles: “Anna is very creative and adventurous, which I love. I’ve learned skills that I would never have dared to on my own, thanks to her. She exudes beauty and kindness. Plus, she laughs at my jokes.”

Though anywhere with each other is the most romantic place they could be in, the outdoor tables at The Local where they went together in their early days in Beijing brought them a bit of familiarity in a strange country. Also, the Jiangxi noodle place across the street from where they used to live made them feel like they just might get the hang of living in Beijing. And they have indeed. We wish the wonderful couple good fortune and happy years ahead as they move to Paris for their next adventure, when their first baby arrives in January!

KEEP READING: QiXi Love Stories: The Whirlwind Romance That Brought This Couple To Beijing

Images: Courtesy of Anna Hartley

Every year when Chinese Valentine’s – aka QiXi Festival – rolls around, English-language WeChat accounts publish long articles about the holiday’s origins using the same, boring graphics of a boy and a girl in front of a moon on a bridge of birds. Click here if you really want to learn the story behind QiXi.

This year, instead of retelling that myth, Jingkids is sharing some epic real-life love stories.

This is the story of how Elizabeth Tucker and Kelli Cochran met and fell in love seven years ago, got married, and now have a bouncy baby girl named Frankie.

How they met

Elizabeth: We were both teaching at a school in Kuwait, and I was in a [heterosexual, long-distance] relationship at the time. Kelli wasn’t looking for anything, especially in the Middle East. There wasn’t an exact moment that it happened, but I always had a crush on her. One time we were in the elevator together and I was so awkward! Kelli said “Hello” but I was frozen. All I could keep thinking was “It’s my crush!”

Who asked who out?

Elizabeth: I had had a few drinks with some friends and messaged her.

Kelli: She sent me a selfie while I was at a desert party, and I showed it to my friend and asked them if that was something they would send a friend and they said no!

Elizabeth: It was a little suggestive… Then at subsequent meetings, we could just feel the electricity in the air between us. Then one evening, Kelli just said she wished we could cuddle. So we went back to my apartment and just talked all night. There was no kissing, no nothing, but it was just incredible. I’ll never forget that night.

The first date

Kelli: She had to end things with the guy first.

Elizabeth: And it had to be over Skype because we weren’t in the same country. It wasn’t ideal but what could I do?

Kelli: Then, for our first date, she picked me up from the gym and we went to this little cafe called 1008.

Elizabeth: It was an awkward first date because we were nervous, but [it was]still fun!

Kelli: The cafe was doing a decorative cup activity so we made a rainbow cup together and hung it up.

Elizabeth: The date ended at my place. There’s this joke: “What did the lesbian bring on their first date? A U-Haul.” Because we move fast!

Kelli: Or we’re just sure. We knew. I didn’t spend any more nights at my apartment for the rest of our time in Kuwait.

Proposing on a high

Elizabeth: After another year in Kuwait, we left and came to Beijing. In our first year here, we got engaged. We were unsure of who should propose to who, so we chose a day to get engaged and did something special. We were spending Chinese New Year in Malaysia when we hired a hot-air balloon and wrote something to say. But the day before, we had done a food tour, and I got food poisoning. So we’re up in the air, and Kelli’s saying these romantic things to me and I was green with nausea.

Kelli: Then we came back and got our ring tattoos at 798.

Having Frankie 

Kelli: My mother works in a fertility center in Michigan, so she really helped us through the process. Even though we could have done it without her, it was nice to have her guide us. It was good to see how common it was because there was always a line at the clinic.

Elizabeth: I’ve always known I wanted to be a mom and be pregnant. Pregnancy is just so fascinating to me. It’s so incredible that you’re growing a human!

Kelli: I’m not as enthusiastic as she is but I want to try for the next one.

What’s the most romantic thing she’s ever done?

Elizabeth: Maybe I’m boring but it’s the way she takes care of us, like packing my lunch and cooking dinner every night. It’s not some grand gesture but the little day-to-day stuff.

Kelli: For me, I think it’s something that she said that’s the most romantic. I like to do races–

Elizabeth: She’s being humble! She’s an incredible athlete. She does triathlons, like the Ironman.

Kelli: –and she said, “I’ll always be there at the finish line.” To me, that meant more than just the physical presence. It’s the support that she provides.

Hearing Elizabeth and Kelli’s story made me go “aww” several times. At no point in time did they feel the need to put any labels on their relationship. Their no-frills romance is that of the humble yet miraculous love story based on a consistent and constant partnership. Theirs is the modern-day fairy-tale, and a love story that we can all aspire to.

KEEP READING: QiXi Love Stories: From the Moment They Met, They Knew It Was Love

Images courtesy of Elizabeth Tucker.

Every year when Chinese Valentine’s – aka QiXi Festival – rolls around, English-language WeChat accounts publish long articles about the holiday’s origins using the same, boring graphics of a boy and a girl in front of a moon on a bridge of birds. Click here if you really want to learn the story behind QiXi.

This year, instead of retelling that myth, Jingkids is sharing some epic real-life love stories.

At the risk of sounding cynical or jaded, it takes a special type of romantic to believe in love at first sight. For most of us, such a perfect world only exists in fairy tales. And yet, even the most hardened skeptic has to admit that sometimes fairy tales come true, and today’s couple is living proof.

Svetlana is a Russian native who spent most of her life in Ukraine, while Carlos was born in Peru but grew up in France. In truly international fashion, the two met in Tianjin. They’ve been together for a decade and recently welcomed the arrival of their daughter Mia. Talk about a love story of global proportions!

One fateful night ten years ago, Svetlana and Carlos both decided to go dancing with their friends, not knowing it would be a night that would forever change their lives. The couple met while clubbing in Tianjin and they pretty much remember the night the same way. “Oh, it was a love at first sight,” says Svetlana. “I was hanging out with my friends when I felt someone looking at me. I turned and I saw him, and that’s it, I think it just clicked! That night we danced, we talked, and he gave me his scarf when I was leaving, as it was cold and he wanted to protect me. His scarf had his smell that still gives me goosebumps.”

The night they met

Likewise, Carlos remembers, “I was in a club with my friends, looking at the people dancing. Then I saw that gorgeous woman standing, she looked at me and I thought to myself, ‘She has to be mine.'” At that moment, they knew that they’d found the one, and that they forever belonged to each other.

Shortly thereafter, Carlos texted Svetlana and asked her out for what would be their first date. The two went to a Spanish restaurant close to Svetlana’s home. “I was so nervous, I talked so much…. And in one moment he kissed me, and it felt so romantic, so gentle,” she remembers.

We asked the couple about some of their most memorable romantic gestures, however, they were hardpressed to come up with a single moment. “He did so many romantic gestures,” says Svetlana, “like proposing to me in a most romantic way, with Mariachi song – he couldn’t find Mariachi band so he found a violinist and asked him to learn a Mariachi love song that I like so much; he kissed me on the top of the Eiffel tower, which was my dream since I was a little girl – to kiss my future husband there; he made my wedding dream come true – having a wedding in a French Renaissance castle, and on and on and on! He is the best (and most romantic) husband ever!”

The couple truly enjoys a fairytale relationship that they’ve carefully cultivated with plenty of unconditional love. And for them, the best part about their relationship is that they’re going through everything together. Now that baby Mia is in the picture, their love’s grown even deeper and each day is a blessing.

KEEP READING: Mandarin Monday: Sweet Things to Tell Your Loved Ones This Qixi Festival

Images: Svetlana Ore

Every year when Chinese Valentine’s – aka 七夕 (Qīxì) Festival – rolls around, English-language WeChat accounts publish long articles about the holiday’s origins using the same, boring graphics of a boy and a girl in front of a moon on a bridge of birds. Click here if you really want to learn the story behind QiXi.

This year, instead of retelling the myth, Jingkids is sharing some epic real-life love stories.

We’re starting off the week with the stunning new mom Evelyn Figueroa and Oliver Rosenthal, a Mexican-German couple who now call Beijing home along with their 7-month-old baby girl Eline.

Forget Antonio Banderas and Johnny Depp. This is what really happened once upon a time in Mexico…

Evelyn on how they met: “Oliver started working for BMW and went to Mexico for the first time to do a professional internship. A mutual friend introduced us in Mexico City. We only saw each other once and became friends on Facebook, but we didn’t talk at all and each of us continued with our lives.

Ten years later Oliver returned to Mexico, this time as an expat for three years.  He sent me a message through social media asking if we could meet. At that time I was working outside of Mexico City in government in a very demanding position with little free time so I invited him to a regional fair, of which I was in charge.

I never thought he would come but he did. And there he was, the only person out of 20,000 people wearing a suit.

I couldn’t even remember what he was like but he certainly stood out from the audience. So I brought him on stage, he had his first real Mexican band concert and we had our first date. Since that day we became inseparable. Despite the distance and complicated schedules, we took time to travel, to be together, and to get to know each other.”

Love is simple, and yet oh so complicated. Disney raised us to believe that girls need to be saved, but in real life, relationships last, and love grows stronger over time because of both partners’ admiration, support, and respect for one another.

We asked the couple the hard question. When did you know you’d found the one?

“Many times Evelyn had to work unusual hours, many times on the weekends, very early or late,” explains Oliver. “She had last-minute calls and had to leave but at the same time I had the opportunity to be by her side at official events, learning more about her culture and supporting her professional career, in the same way, that she supported me.”

Actions speak louder than words, and that’s how Evelyn knew she’d found her other half. “I knew that Oliver was the one because he broke the mold for me. He was a completely different type of man than the kind I had previously dated. He had the courage to go to unknown places – without knowing the language, the culture. He was a pillar for me in a very important stage in my life, in an authentic way, and like he said, it felt right.”

For Evelyn, the most romantic gesture from Oliver was their engagement. “We were in an incredible resort in the middle of the jungle in Costa Rica with volcanic waters. By coincidence, the place was called Fortuna, the name of his favorite football club. The view, the place could not be better. He organized a private dinner in a room with candles, roses, and a romantic guitarist with the songs that had left their mark on our relationship, from Metallica to Narcos. He was saying his words but he was too nervous and I was interrupting him. He asked and I muted myself for a moment and then of course I said yes. Two months later we got legally married and later we had a wonderful religious wedding with our families and friends from different countries.”

On the other hand, for Oliver, there isn’t just one thing that his wife’s done that’s romantic. It’s everything she’s done for him throughout their five-year relationship. “Evelyn did so many romantic things to me like a hot air balloon ride over the pyramids of Teotihuacan – that was something I always wanted to do, and it was amazing. Taking me on a sailing tour on my birthday and being part of a sailing regatta where we even won a trophy, took me swimming with dolphins, came to the last match of Fortuna, stormed the field and robbed part of the stadium grass, and so many little things which always show me her love for me. After all, she agreed to leave her country, her family, her life to start a family with me on the other side of the world here in China. This must be love!

The most romantic place in Beijing is our apartment, first of all because it is where we welcome our daughter. It also has a beautiful representative view of the city because it is where we have all the objects and memories of our moments together.”

And last, but certainly not least…

What do you love the most about the other?

Evelyn: I love his bravery and that he is ambitious like me. He has a good heart and is an excellent dad and caring husband. Most of all that, we have been and we are accomplices in fun, pain, and constant learning.

Oliver: Her intelligence, humor, and sexiness. Plus she’s fun to be around so there’s never a boring day. She loves me with all her heart, and she is a very passionate woman even though this sometimes means she goes through high states of emotions.

KEEP READING: Happy Qixi! Tying the Knot and the Lighter Side of Cross-Cultural Marriages

Images: Evelyn Figueroa

• A traditional contest pits kids against each other, where they show off their dexterity by threading a needle as quickly as possible. 
• During the festival, a garland is displayed in the yard. You can make pretty tissue paper flowers or tassel garlands. Or, create paper butterfly or sewn paper garlands. All these projects include detailed step-by-step instructions.
• Lanterns are an intrinsic part of many Chinese festivals. On Qixi in Beijing, people flock to lakes and parks to light lanterns. Lanterns can be bought here. Or, make your own decorative lanterns.