If you look up at the night sky on a clear evening, you might see a group of seven bright stars shaped like a big spoon. That’s called the Big Dipper. In Chinese, it’s known as Bei Dou (北斗, the Northern Dipper).
In Chinese stories, the Big Dipper isn’t just a group of stars. It’s believed to be a group of heavenly beings — seven shining stars who help the Jade Emperor, the great ruler of the heavens, keep balance in the world.
Now, here’s how one famous story about the Big Dipper goes.
The Seven Sisters of the Big Dipper
Long ago, high above the clouds, there lived seven beautiful sisters, daughters of the Jade Emperor and his wife, the Queen Mother of the West.
Each sister had a special job.
The eldest watched over the seasons. The second guided travellers using starlight. The third painted colours on the sunrise. The fourth brought gentle rain to thirsty fields. The fifth made music with the wind. The sixth helped plants grow. And the youngest, Zhi Nu (织女, the Weaving Maiden), was kind and clever — she wove the silver threads of the Milky Way across the sky.
The sisters lived happily, working together and lighting up the heavens each night. But one evening, as they looked down to Earth, Zhi Nu saw a kind and hardworking cowherd named Niu Lang (牛郎, the Cowherd).
He was poor but gentle, always taking care of his old ox and never complaining. Zhi Nu watched him day after day and began to admire his kindness. Finally, she asked her sisters, “Can I visit Earth? Just for a little while?”
Her sisters warned her, “You mustn’t fall in love with a mortal! Father would be furious!”
But Zhi Nu’s heart was curious and brave. She slipped down to Earth on a silver cloud, and, just as you might guess, she and Niu Lang met and soon fell in love. They lived happily, tending fields and watching sunsets together.
When the Jade Emperor discovered this, he was not pleased. “A star maiden cannot live among mortals!” he declared. So he sent his soldiers to bring Zhi Nu back to the heavens.
Niu Lang tried to follow, using a magic robe given by his old ox that let him fly, but the Queen Mother of the West drew her golden hairpin through the sky, and from it flowed a great river of stars — the Milky Way.
That river separated the lovers forever.
Zhi Nu became the Weaving Star (Vega), and Niu Lang became the Cowherd Star (Altair), standing on opposite sides of the Milky Way. But the Jade Emperor saw their sadness and felt pity. He allowed them to meet once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, when magpies form a bridge across the sky for them to reunite.
Their six sisters, the other stars of the Big Dipper, shine nearby, watching over them and guiding the seasons.
And so, when you look at the Big Dipper at night, remember: those seven stars aren’t just lights. They’re the Seven Heavenly Sisters, who still help watch over the sky, and one of them still dreams of her love across the Milky Way.
The End.