The Double Seventh Festival, sometimes called the Chinese Valentine's Day, falls on Monday this year and businesses in east China’s Jiangsu province have tried their best to make the day infused with romance by wooing consumers in a variety of ways.
More and more young people have shown preference over the Chinese traditional day for romance, as has been justified by the booming flower sales.
Sales promotions have been launched well in advance before the arrival of this year’s Double Seventh Festival celebrations. Flowers have turned out to be in great demand these days as many people have started to book flowers and online shops have got busy coping with rising orders for red roses and blue roses that stand for harmony and love.
Gift shops are also bracing for booming sales as more and more people have flocked to choose their favourite items such as shavers and cosmetics. Gifts standing for everlasting love have turned out to be the most sought-after.
The tourism market is also heated up with varied tour routes being promoted to attract the lovebirds.
China's Qixi Festival on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar is based on an ill-fated love story involving a cowherd and a fairy seamstress.
Niulang, the cowherd, and Zhinv, the fairy, fell in love and later ascended to the heavens becoming two stars separated by the galaxy.
They could only meet once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, when thousands of magpies form a bridge to allow them to cross the galaxy.
