The Legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl: A Tale of Love and Separation

The legend tells the story of Zhinu, the granddaughter of the ancient Heavenly Emperor, who was skilled in weaving and would weave colorful clouds in the sky every day. Disliking her mundane life, she secretly went down to the mortal world and married Niulang, a cowherd from Hexi, to live a life of farming and weaving. This angered the Heavenly Emperor, who captured Zhinu and ordered them to separate, only allowing them to meet once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month on the Magpie Bridge. Their steadfast love moved the magpies, who flew in countless numbers and formed a bridge across the Milky Way, allowing Niulang and Zhinu to meet on the heavenly river.