(250829) -- Harbin, Aug. 29, 2025 (Xinhua) -- The Milky Way and the Altair and Vega stars on opposite sides are pictured in Fujin City of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, on Aug. 27, 2025. Known as the Chinese version of the Valentine's Day, the Qixi Festival fell on Friday this year.
The festival, celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh month on the Chinese lunar calendar, originated from an ancient Chinese love story.
The stars Altair and Vega, regarded as Niu Lang (a humble cowherd) and Zhi Nyu (the seventh daughter of the Goddess of Heaven) , were beloved couple in the legend who found their love forbidden and were separated to opposite sides of the Milky Way.
Moved by their plight, magpies intervened, creating the bridge with their wings on the seventh night of the seventh month of China's lunar calendar, allowing the couple to reunite for just one day each year. (Photo by Liu Wanping/Xinhua)
