A cultural and tourism festival kicked off on Friday night in Rongchang district, Southwest China's Chongqing, to celebrate the Qixi Festival — also known as Chinese Valentine's Day — which fell on Saturday.

The three-day event is being held in Wanling Ancient Town, Grass Linen Town, Antao Pottery Town and Gufo Mountain in Rongchang. Thirteen traditional activities, such as a floating river lanterns activity, a fireworks show, a matchmaking event, a hanfu parade and an intangible cultural heritage, fair will be staged.

In Chinese mythology, Qixi Festival — the seventh day of the seventh lunar month — celebrates the annual meeting of Niulang, a cowherd, and Zhinyu, a weaver girl. In the legend, the two lovers travel across the Milky Way and walk down a bridge formed by magpies to reunite with each other.

Rongchang, formerly known as Changzhou established in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), has a history of over 1,200 years. In 2022, it was officially recognized as a historical and cultural city of Chongqing.