The Tang Xianzu Memorial Hall in Fuzhou is a comprehensive cultural venue built to commemorate Tang Xianzu, one of the world’s hundred great cultural figures and a master of Ming‑dynasty drama in China. It is also one of Jiangxi Province’s ten major memorial halls dedicated to historical luminaries.

Event Preview | On the Auspicious Day of Qixi, Lanterns Illuminate Enduring Love

Author:

Source:

Time:

2025-08-28

On this Qixi night, gazing at the azure sky, the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl cross the bridge over the river.

Every household prays for skill on the autumn moon, threading through countless red silk threads.

From ancient times to the present, in the poems and writings of countless scholars and artists, the Qixi Festival has always been a vessel for people’s hopes—seeking skillful craftsmanship, romantic love, and lasting happiness. In recent years, the festival’s romantic essence has grown even more pronounced, with couples exchanging gifts and setting out on outings together during this traditional occasion. For millennia, the tale of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, who meet on the Magpie Bridge under the moonlight to seek wisdom and ingenuity, has been cherished and passed down. On this romantically charged traditional holiday, the Tang Xianzu Memorial Hall in Fuzhou has prepared a DIY Qixi lantern‑making activity for visitors. All are welcome to join us at the museum.

I. Event Theme

On the auspicious day of Qixi, lanterns cast a glow on enduring love—romantic lights and shadows in the hometown of Master Tang.

II. Event Information

1. Date and Time: Friday, August 29, 2025 (Qixi Festival) morning

2. Location: Yumingtang Bookstore on the first floor (Tourist Service Center)

III. Event Details

0 1

The docent recounted the romantic love story of Du Liniang and Liu Mengmei from “The Peony Pavilion,” thereby introducing the traditional customs and cultural significance of the Qixi Festival.

0 2

Staff distributed material kits free of charge, and participants crafted Qixi Festival–themed table lamps on the spot, assembling the lamp bases and installing the bulbs. Finally, they affixed decorative stickers such as “A Match Made in Heaven” and “Hearts in Perfect Harmony” to the lampshades.

Further Reading

The Qixi Festival is a traditional folk holiday in China. Because the seventh day of the seventh lunar month marks the birthday of the Seventh Sister, and “seeking skill” is one of the festival’s key customs, it is also known as the “Qiqiao Festival.” The Qixi Festival goes by other names as well, including the Seven‑Skill Festival, the Seventh Sister Festival, the Daughters’ Festival, the Seven‑Lady Gathering, the Qixi Sacrifice, the Ox‑Man and Ox‑Woman Day, and Qiaoxi. In China, the Qixi Festival falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month; the earliest recorded mention of “the seventh day of the seventh month” appears in the ancient text “Simum Yue Ling,” authored by the Eastern Han scholar Cui Shi.

Qixi Festival originally stemmed from ancient star‑worship traditions and later evolved into the romantic tale of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, making it a cherished night when young women honor the celestial deities and pray for skillful hands and clever minds. By the Six Dynasties period, the festival had grown rich and complete, becoming primarily a time for women to express their aspirations and to showcase their craftsmanship through contests and displays. On Qixi, people partake in delicacies such as “qiaoguo” and “qiaoya mian,” while engaging in a variety of “qi qiao” rituals—thread‑piercing for skill, spider‑catching for good fortune, staying up late to make wishes, airing books, and drying clothes—among other activities.

The Qixi Festival has bequeathed to us a rich cultural heritage, encompassing perspectives on love, work, ambition, morality, and a sense of responsibility. On May 20, 2006, the Qixi Festival was included in the first batch of the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.