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One day Zhinü came down to Earth and, while bathing in a river, Niulang was passing by the river and he saw Zhinu. He was extremely happy and stole her clothes. Without her clothes, Zhinü was unable to return to heaven. Instead, she decided to marry
Niulang. Niulang farmed in the fields while Zhinü
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to bring Zhinü back to Heaven. Niulang was very upset when he found out his wife had been taken back to heaven. Niulang's ox, who saw the events unfold, built a boat for him to carry his children up to Heaven. The ox was once the god of cattle but was punished after he had violated the laws of
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weaved at home and took care of their children. Zhinü was so deeply in love and for so long that she no longer desired a return to heaven. However, their relationship was discovered by her father, Jade
Emperor, who ordered the
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Just when
Niulang and his sons were about to reach Heaven, the Queen Mother of the West punished them by creating the River of Heaven, or
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Eventually, the Queen Mother of the West allowed them to meet once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month when a flock of
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338:"Old Tales for New Times: Some Comments on the Cultural Translation of China's Four Great Folktales in the Twentieth Century"
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The story was selected as one of China's Four Great
Folktales by the "Folklore Movement" in the 1920s—the others being the
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were actually gods on Heaven. Niulang is responsible for the celestial herds. Zhinü is the seventh daughter of the
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swarm into the sky and create a bridge for them to cross. The day is celebrated as the "
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297:"Qixi Festival – Google celebrates Chinese traditional festival on Aug 25 this year"
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261:"Chinese Valentine's Day Folktale Sparks Discussion on Abuse"
279:"Explainer: The Story of Qixi, AKA Chinese Valentine's Day"
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An illustration of the couple at the Long
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316:"Top 10 Chinese myths"
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336:(2012).
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189:Heaven.
108:Niúl—áng
205:magpies
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23:Niulang
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198:Altair
145:Legend
133:Aquila
129:Altair
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