TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – As the Chinese equivalent of Valentines' Day, Qixi (七夕), approaches, Changhua City Office has lit up the 1-kilometer skywalk on Baguashan (八卦山) with lights, illuminating art installations designed by a team from National Changhua University of Education, and music, making the skywalk “the longest magpie bridge in Taiwan,” Liberty Times reported on Tuesday (July 23).

Qixi, which falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, is an important festival that celebrates love. The festival, which falls on August 7 this year, originates from a mythological story about star-crossed lovers, Cowherd (牛郎) and Weaver Girl (織女). In the tale, they are separated and can only meet once a year -- on Qixi.

Legend has it that some magpies were so touched after learning of the couple’s story that they flew into the sky and formed a bridge on which the lovers could meet. Therefore, a magpie bridge in Chinese culture symbolizes love and happiness of conjugality.

The magpie bridge on Baguashan will be lit from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. every night from now until early August, according to the Liberty Times. However, because of visitors’ warm reception to the display, the city government said it may move back the date, the news outlet added.

Changhua City Mayor Lin Shih-hsien (林世賢) said the light-decorated magpie bridge is designed not only for unwed couples but also for married couples, including seniors, to experience the romantic atmosphere the bridge creates.

The purpose of turning the skywalk into a magpie bridge is to make Baguashan a “holy mountain” for love, the mayor said, adding that the city would also organize fairs, concerts, and other activities, including the largest matchmaking event in the country, to boost the city’s tourism.

(Changhua City Government photos)