Graffiti and love walls unveiled
A "wall of love" features multilingual expressions of I love you.
A graffiti wall was unveiled on the city’s popular “sweet love road” in north downtown to encourage the romantic outpourings of the city’s Romeos and Juliets on the Qixi Festival, or Chinese Valentine’s Day.
Tian’ai road in Hongkou District, which translates as “Sweet Love,” has long attracted couples thanks to its name, and also led many to draw their loved one’s initials, as well as hearts, arrows, and general declarations of eternal love.
The designated “graffiti wall” was erected in the middle of the 600-meter-long road on Wednesday along with a “wall of love” featuring multilingual expressions of “I love you”, as well as a “wall of hearts” with a heart-shape lamp for couples to pose in front of.
The wall aims to make the road a more popular attraction for local love birds while stymieing scribbled declarations of love that once plagued it, according to the Sichuan Road N. Subdistrict. Red-color pens have been placed beside the walls.
More attractions are planned.
They include a love museum which will display marriage certificates, wedding photos and traditional dowries from all ages, as well as romantic tales and stories which occurred on the road.
The road is also known for its unusual mailbox. Letters and postcards dropped in the box are sent with a unique heart shape postage stamp.
The road has been adorned with 28 marble plaques of verses by famous poets both in Chinese and English. Artists are also invited to create love themed paintings along the road.
Many young couples braved the scorching weather on Wednesday to pose in front of the newly unveiled attractions.
Li Chunxiao and Xi Huijun, who met and fell in love on the road, became one of the first couples to pose in front of the wall of love.
“We have witnessed the development of the road, and the road has also witnessed our feelings to each other,” said Li.
Shanghai residents have a long traditional of celebrating Qixi Festival, dating back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), said Xue Liyong, a senior researcher at Shanghai History Museum.
In one of the traditions, women would pray to the Zhinu and Qianniu stars, known as the “stars in love” and then wear a needle and thread under moonlight as a conventional ritual, Xue said.
Local families also made Qiao cake, or fried dough, to celebrate the festival, he added. Most of the customs have been forgotten.
The "wall of love" features multilingual expressions of "I love you."
The wall of hearts
