As the Qixi Festival approaches, the Banshan Subdistrict of Gongshu District, Hangzhou, is preparing a romance blending ancient and modern — the “Love on Qixi, Hearts Set at Wangchen” (爱在七夕·情定望宸) 11th Grand Canal Collective Wedding and Qiaoshan Qiqiao folk event, set to open on August 19 at the Hanggang Park on the Grand Canal and the Banshan National Forest Park. From now until the deadline, the organizers are recruiting newlywed couples citywide and “steel anniversary” couples married for 11 years nationwide to join the celebration as “sweet partners,” with a surprise gift package for every selected participant.
Gongshu District, recognized as an effective unit of Zhejiang Province’s second batch of marriage-custom reform pilot zones, has spent years cultivating the Grand Canal wedding brand along the Canal cultural belt. In 2026, the 11th edition moves to Banshan and for the first time adopts a dual-park model combining the Hanggang Park on the Grand Canal with the Banshan National Forest Park, while upgrading its “Sweet Map” to version 3.0. Banshan’s endowment is a “one mountain, one water” landscape: the legendary tenderness of King Qian Liu of Wuyue — “When the flowers bloom on the roadside, you may take your time returning home” (陌上花开，可缓缓归矣) — and the tale of Emperor Gaozong of the Song dynasty stopping at Qiaoshan on his southward journey give the “Qiaoshan Qiqiao” (巧山乞巧) customs their historical depth. Across the water, the Hanggang Park is a core landmark of the Grand Canal National Cultural Park, a former steelworks reborn as a “city living room” for the public.
Rituals: Hair-Up Rites, a Dowry Procession and a Drone Finale
This edition is not just a venue upgrade but a content renewal: it fuses a full Song-style wedding with the intangible-heritage Qiqiao customs into a life-stage timeline — “Qiaoshan holds its Qiqiao rites; a daughter comes of age; heaven bestows a fated match; the union cup seals a hundred years”. Couples will complete the traditional “hair-tying and face-polishing” (上头开脸) rite at the Hanggang Park; a “ten-li red dowry” procession with a hundred attendants will re-enact the “nine wedding rites of Banshan Qiqiao” (半山乞巧婚庆九礼); after nightfall, visitors can join the “Qiqiao folk ICH market” at the park, completing 14 intangible-heritage check-in activities, or head to the Banshan National Forest Park to tie lovers’ knots beneath Wangchen Pavilion, walk the “love ladder,” and listen to a candlelight concert under the stars. The finale is a Qixi drone formation above the Hanggang Park — nearly a thousand drones “blooming in the sky” to close the ceremony.
Who Can Apply
Recruitment covers two groups. Ten pairs of newlywed couples are sought: they must live or work in Gongshu District, and be married this year or registered within the past year without yet holding a wedding (special circumstances may be considered at the organizers’ discretion), with at least one spouse currently residing or working in Gongshu. Another five pairs are “steel anniversary” couples whose marriage registration reached its 11th anniversary by the end of 2026 and who currently live or work in mainland China, with preference given to those whose growth or work experience is connected to Hangzhou. Applications are made by scanning a QR code to download the form, filling it in and sending it to 243239899@qq.com; the deadline is August 9, 2026.