(Photo provided to Xinhua Daily)

As a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities of Literature, Nanjing plans to host more than 100 activities to celebrate the Qixi Festival, which is also referred to as Chinese Valentine's Day.

The traditional festival falls on the 7th day of the 7th month according to the Chinese lunar calendar, which is August 22 this year. It celebrates the legend of the annual meeting between the mythological figures of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.

Jinling Style, a romance-themed destination developed by Nanjing Tourism Group, opened its grand celebration of the festival on August 19, offering a combination of performances, shopping and tours.

This celebration included a gathering of 100 young graduates from universities in Nanjing, a bike parade featuring 30 cyclists riding along the Xuanwu Lake and Purple Mountain, a lakeside concert of love songs of different times performed by young artists, and an outdoor cinema showing clips of classic romance movies. The program also highlighted shops selling intangible cultural heritage items, such as traditional ornaments made from Nanjing Cloud Brocade.

Other activities include a celebration at the square of Baijia Lake 1912, a commercial development in Nanjing, on the evening of August 21. This event will feature performances by traditional Chinese musical instruments like pipa, erhu, and guzheng. Professor from the School of Humanities at Southeast University will also join the celebration to discuss the history and customs of the Qixi Festival.

Furthermore, the Jiangsu Centre for the Performing Arts will offer folk music performances in honor of the festival, and the Nanjing Folk Museum will open an exhibition on traditional customs. The back street of Nanjing University of the Arts, a popular lifestyle and art destination, plans to showcase traditional Chinese culture.