The Yuanmingyuan Park in Beijing launched a weeklong celebration of the traditional Chinese festival Qixi on Saturday.

Qixi, which falls on the seventh day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar, will be celebrated on Aug 7 this year. Dubbed as Chinese Valentine's Day in modern times, the festival's origin in Chinese mythology suggests it was observed as a day when Niulang and Zhinyu, a separated couple, reunited once a year.