Cultural night tours, heritage crafts and immersive experiences boost festive spending of people across all age groups

The Qixi Festival, China's equivalent of Valentine's Day, was celebrated on Wednesday amid a surge in festive spending on cultural night tours, immersive exhibitions and intangible cultural heritage experiences. Experts said the boom reflects a deeper sense of cultural identity and evolving consumer demand.

The festival, which is celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh month of the Chinese calendar, is rooted in the legend of the cowherd and the weaver girl who are separated by the Milky Way, and who meet once a year on this day, spanning the galaxy via a bridge formed by magpies.

In Beijing, the Nanchizi Museum hosted the "Magpie Bridge Night in Garden" ahead of the festival, featuring a special exhibition that blended traditional astronomy with contemporary art.

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As part of the festivities, the museum also hosted a fan-making session for visitors on Saturday, and it has scheduled two more similar sessions on Aug 22 and 29, from 6 pm to 9 pm.

In addition, a Qixi-themed intangible cultural heritage display and experience zone is open to the public at the central hall of the Chinese Traditional Culture Museum until Sunday, featuring eight traditional crafts, including incense making, tie-dye and velvet flower making.

A free group wedding was also organized in Gusu district in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, with couples who had already registered their marriage earlier this year or planned to do so around Qixi taking part. The event offered services including styling, photography and a traditional Chinese ceremony.

The district also rolled out a series of romantic experiences to fuel the "sweet economy", according to the Jiangsu provincial civil affairs department.

At the Suji Ancient Town in Leshan, Sichuan province, meanwhile, visitors tried their hand on Saturday at a Qixi needle-threading ritual, using vintage-style needles and colored threads to take on the traditional challenge.

According to the China Intangible Cultural Heritage website, which is hosted by the Chinese National Academy of Arts, Qixi is rich in folk customs. On Qixi night, women traditionally threaded silk through a row of needles by moonlight. Those who completed the task quickly were said to possess greater skill.

People also stargazed, hoping to see the star-crossed lovers meet in the Milky Way or overhear their tender words beneath a melon trellis, while praying for a happy marriage.

He Qicong, an associate professor at Beijing Normal University's Institute of Culture Innovation and Communication, said that traditional Chinese festivals have always provided an opportunity for people to connect with their cultural roots.

"Emulating ancestors is not simply a revival of old customs and rituals," she said. "What lies beneath this cultural value system is the ancient Chinese view of life."

Nighttime outings have become one of the most popular ways to celebrate Qixi. According to Tongcheng Travel, an online travel agency, evening ticket sales at domestic scenic spots on Qixi day rose more than 50 percent compared with the daily average.

Falling at the tail end of the summer holidays, Qixi prompted many to head out on weekend trips. Booking data from online travel agency Tuniu showed that families accounted for more than 60 percent of those traveling over the weekend.

Senior travelers also tapped into the festive momentum. Tongcheng Travel said that since the beginning of August, travelers age 55 and above have accounted for nearly 40 percent of package-tour bookings on its platform, up about 6 percentage points year-on-year.

Associate professor He of Beijing Normal University said the festival resonates with people of all ages.

"To young couples, Qixi symbolizes enduring love. The story is a beautiful metaphor for constancy and undivided devotion. The verse puts it well: 'If two hearts are true, why must they be together dawn and dusk?'

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"For women, Qixi carries the tradition of seeking skills. Women would compete in threading needles and pray to the weaver girl for wit and deft hands. That reverence for labor and craftsmanship is a shared aspiration for bettering oneself.

"For the elderly, Qixi evokes a vision of family harmony. Diligence, fortitude and mutual support transform romance into a family legacy," she said.

Du Jianfang, an expert at the research institute of the China International Electronic Commerce Center, told Economic Information Daily that the rise in traditional festival consumption was not simply the result of holiday promotions.

"It is a long-term trend driven by cultural momentum, supply innovation and the upgrading of the consumption structure. Consumers are increasingly willing to pay a reasonable price for quality, experience, cultural meaning and emotional value," she said.

Contact the writers at lihongyang@chinadaily.com.cn