Qixi Festival

This article was written on August 13, 2013

Author: Lü Jianfeng

Today is Qixi Festival. In my memory, all kinds of Valentine's Days like Qixi have been spent alone. Today I am still alone, bored, so let's talk about Qixi from keywords.

1. The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.

Qixi comes from the legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. Their happy life was destroyed by the Heavenly Court, and the Queen Mother of the West is resented by the world. But here I want to thank the Queen Mother. Without her, the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl would have merely lived happily. Could such a poignant and beautiful love story have been left behind? Could there be the Qixi Festival?

From the legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, I want to share a few of my views:

a. It is good to have one boy and one girl. The ancients did not make the legend have two daughters or two sons, nor did they make it have any other number of children. This shows that since ancient times, our Chinese heritage has favored one son and one daughter. In a sense, it also verifies that the character "好" (good) means a family with both a son and a daughter is happy.

b. Separation and reunion are inevitable. Gods and legends tell you that love needs trials, needs separation and reunion. Even the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl are separated for all but one day a year. Separation and reunion are the true meaning of love.

c. Feelings require a bit of force. The Weaver Girl was bathing when the Cowherd took her clothes. She cried bitterly. The Cowherd threatened to return her clothes only if she became his wife. The Weaver Girl had no choice but to agree. Affection came later. You see, feelings always require a bit of force. Fellow men, you must go after the woman you like. As long as what you do for love is forceful, it is commendable, even if you are a third party. "In love, there is no first come, first served; only the unloved is the third party." This saying is widely circulated and attributed to Shakespeare, but that's nonsense; it's not from him at all. Yet it spreads so widely, proving that feelings require force, even if it means being a third party.

1. Under the flowers and the moon.

The moon rises above the willow tree; a tryst after dusk. This means that a date between a man and a woman should be at night. "Under the flowers and the moon" means the best place for a date is where there are flowers. That's why lovers always like to go to parks, and why a man who likes a woman gives her flowers. But today I'm not talking about that. I want to give new meanings to old words.

a. "Under the flowers and the moon" means spending money to please the other. A woman will dress up for the one who appreciates her. If a woman meets a man she likes and who likes her back, on a day like today, Qixi, she should dress beautifully and wait for him to invite her out.

b. "Under the flowers and the moon" means spending money to make a date. The woman is dressed up, and the man has invited her out. Where to? A park? Probably most women would run away. The man needs to spend money. What is most popular tonight? KTVs need to be booked in advance; bars are packed; if you look for a hotel after midnight, you might have to search all over Kunming; flowers like roses cost at least twenty yuan each in Kundu. All these require the man to spend money. So it's spending money to make a date.

1. I love you.

I believe the most said phrase tonight is "I love you." Liking is not enough; love must be spoken. Speaking is not enough; you must use adjectives like vows of eternal love. Today I'll analyze the "I love you" that is said and the one that is not said.

a. Emotional frauds. This type of person says "I love you" most easily. They say it often, are familiar with it, and it comes out without thinking. Like me, I have never said "I love you." If I really can't avoid it, at most I'll say "I like you." Ladies, be careful of handsome guys who say "I love you" right away.

b. True feelings. Love is blind. Even an ugly woman can be seen as a beauty, let alone saying "I love you."

c. Not saying "I love you" does not mean not loving you. There is a widely spread expression: a man gathers courage and says to a woman, "After you die, would you be willing to be buried in my family's ancestral grave?" If a man is willing to grow old with you and let you enter his family's ancestral grave after death, isn't he very loving? Ladies, if you meet a man who likes you but is unwilling to say "I love you," don't easily throw a tantrum. Maybe he likes you more than all those who say "I love you."

Alright, that's enough. It's time for a movie. I love you, where are you?