The Legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl: A Love Story Across the Milky Way

The legend tells of Zhinü, the granddaughter of the ancient celestial emperor, who was skilled at weaving colorful clouds in the sky every day. Feeling trapped by her monotonous life, she secretly descended to the mortal world and married Niulang, a cowherd from the western bank of the Milky Way, where they lived a simple life of farming and weaving. This act angered the celestial emperor, who captured Zhinü and separated the couple, permitting them to meet only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month on a magpie bridge. Their unwavering love touched the hearts of the magpies, who flew over in countless numbers and formed a bridge with their bodies across the Milky Way, allowing Niulang and Zhinü to reunite on the bridge over the river of stars.