Valentine’s Day is celebrated in many parts of the world as the holiday of love. In China, Valentine’s Day is called qíng rén jié 情人节. Qíng rén jié is regarded as a relatively new holiday celebrated among young people as a result of Western cultural influence over China in the past few decades.
Check out this episode of “Sexy Beijing: Be My Chinese Valentine,” in which Su Fei is out on a quest to discover why Chinese people celebrate Valentine’s Day.
Su Fei’s Sexy Beijing: Be My Chinese Valentine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qp9lNhSyGeA
情人节快乐 qíng rén jié kuài lè (Happy Valentine’s Day)
情人 qíng rén (lover)*
节 jié (holiday)
快乐 kuài lè (happy)
玫瑰 méi guī (roses)
巧克力 qiǎo kè lì (chocolate)
*Be careful though! The word qíng rén is used to describe Valentine’s Day but in other usage, it only refers to a relationship outside of a committed relationship. So you would never call your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband or wife qíng rén.”
