每年农历七月初七这一天是我国汉族的传统节日七夕节。因为此日活动的主要参与者是少女，而节日活动的内容又是以乞巧为主，故而人们称这天为“乞巧节”或“少女节”、“女儿节”。七夕节被国务院列入第一批国家非物质文化遗产名录。现又被认为是“中国情人节”。

With the development of China comes a modernization, perhaps also a westernization of the country and some things, inevitably, fade. The Chinese Valentine's Day, known as the Qixi festival, is fast becoming a long-lost tradition, while the western version of Valentine's Day on February 14th has been picking up steam, even among locals.

[interview, 1. Definitely prefer western holidays, 2. I don't have anything planned, 3. mike]

At many malls around Beijing, the days leading up to the Qixi festival are nothing special - no bustling crowds and no special sales that usually take shops by storm before more commercialized celebrations such as Christmas, New Years or the February 14th Valentines Day.

[interview, silk st. shop owner, there's nothing really special around Qixi so there is not much of an atmosphere ]

One of the few places where the spirit of Qixi lives on is at the downtown flower market. For these florists, it's still a highly anticipated time of the year.

[interview, The Qixi festival falls on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month in the Chinese calendar, which usually coincides with a date the Chinese consider "lucky", so this brings an influx of weddings and other ceremonies]

But even these stores have noticed that the popularity of the Qixi festival is being replaced with a growing preference for the western Valentine's Day.

[interview, definitely Valentine's day. I think people nowadays are all more westernized - even their preference of flower arrangements has changed]

The real girly girls out there who like to make a special day out of almost anything will simply celebrate both with equal passion. Flowers. Candy. Romance. What's not to love?

[interview, I look forward to a more special day on both occasions]

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