The seventh day of the seventh lunar month is Qixi, widely regarded as China's Valentine's Day.

農(nóng)歷七月初七是七夕節(jié)。七夕節(jié)被普遍認為是中國的情人節(jié)。

Many different stories lay claim to being the origin of the festival but one version is the most popular and accepted.

因為它承載著關(guān)于牛郎和織女的古老愛情傳說。在眾說紛紜的故事當中最廣為流傳的版本是：

The youngest daughter of the Jade Emperor ( the ruler of the world in legend), the Weaver Girl was a fairy who weaved rosy clouds in the sky.

玉帝（神話傳說中天地的主宰）的小女兒織女，是在天上紡織彩霞的仙女。

She became tired of the boring immortal life and decided to descend to the mortal world. She met and fell in love with a cowherd.

她厭倦了乏味的神仙生活，私自來到人間，與凡人牛郎相戀。

The Jade Emperor strongly objected to the couple's union and forcibly separated them by the Milky Way leaving them torn apart by the galaxy and only allowing them to meet once a year.

玉帝得知后震怒，強行拆散了這對夫妻，讓他們分居銀河兩邊，只允許他們一年見一次面。

Despite that, the distance could not stop their love for one another.

盡管如此，遙遠的距離卻不能阻止牛郎和織女對愛情的堅持。

They still love each other and look forward to meeting once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month.

從此他們終日思念彼此，期盼著一年一度的相會。

On the brighter side, the tragedy of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl could not happen in modern China.

如今牛郎織女一年一會的凄美故事在現(xiàn)代中國已經(jīng)不再上演。

With the development of high speed railways, lovebirds no longer have any difficulty reuniting even if they are many miles apart.

高速列車的發(fā)展讓戀人們即便相隔遙遠也不再一面難求。

Beijing and Shanghai, the two largest cities in China are 1200 kilometers away from each other.

北京和上海這兩座中國最大的城市，單程距離超過1200公里。

But a ride on the high-speed rail only takes four hours and there are more than 100 high-speed trains traveling between the two cities every day.

但高鐵僅需4個多小時，同時每天有超過100個班次的高速火車往返在這兩座城市之間。

The convenience and efficiency of modern travel have shortened the "galactic distance" between couples.

便捷高效的現(xiàn)代交通縮短了情侶們之間的“銀河”距離。

On Qixi, more and more young people are going on dates and exchanging gifts to express their affection. This in turn gave rise to a unique Qixi economy.

每到七夕這天，越來越多的年輕人在一起約會、送禮表達愛意，形成獨有的七夕經(jīng)濟。

Long queues are also often formed at the gate of the Civil Affairs Bureau where couples rush to register for marriage when love is in the air.

民政局的門口也會早早排起長隊。很多情侶趕在這一天辦理結(jié)婚登記手續(xù)，在甜蜜的節(jié)日氛圍中祈求愛情地久天長。

This is because Qixi carries with it a symbolic meaning, choose your own love and remain faithful for life.

因為其良好的寓意：婚姻自主、忠貞不渝。

More than 2000 years ago, Qixi also known as "the Begging Festival".

相傳在兩千多年前七夕節(jié)也稱“乞巧節(jié)”。

In ancient China, women would visit their close friends and worship the Weaver Girl on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month praying they could become as clever as the Weaver Girl and find their faithful lover.

中國古代，女性會在七月初七這一天訪閨中密友，拜祭織女，祈求能夠像織女一樣心靈手巧，收獲忠貞的愛情。

In traditional Chinese marriage, women who pray for dexterity often devote all their energies to family life.

在中國傳統(tǒng)婚姻中，祈求靈巧的女性往往會將全部精力投入到家庭生活中。

However, times have changed as has the role of women.

然而隨著時代的發(fā)展，中國女性的角色發(fā)生了轉(zhuǎn)變。

A more diversified social role enables women in China to pursue their love courageously and no longer be bound to domestic life like the Weaver Girl.

更加多樣化的社會角色，使得中國女性可以勇敢的追尋自己的愛情，不再像織女一樣受到束縛。

High-speed rail has brought tremendous changes.

高速火車的車輪帶動著時代發(fā)展的巨變。

Many Chinese traditions have changed, but the tradition of festive reunions has stayed strong.

很多中國傳統(tǒng)發(fā)生了變化，但中國人佳節(jié)團聚的傳統(tǒng)從未改變。

In another month, another festival of reunion, Mid-Autumn Festival is coming.

再過一個多月，團聚的節(jié)日——中秋就要到來了。