At the cloudless and tranquil night in summer, look up in the night sky, the sky is full of the shining stars and a white belt is across the north and south. It looks like the Milky Way. The Vega is located on the east of the Milky Way. It shines with blue light. There are four little stars in close proximity to the Vega. They form like a loom. There is a shining star standing far apart facing the Vega in the west of the Milky Way. And that is Altair. There are two stars around Altar. One is in front of Alta. The other is behind it. In Chinese culture, these two star look like a load which represent the Niu Lang takes two children with load.

The story between Niu Lang and Zhi Nu derives from Vega and Altar. Niu Lang and Zhi Nu had been record in the Shi Jing three thousand years ago in China. It describes like this:
维天有汉，监亦有光。
跂彼织女，终日七襄。
虽则七襄，不成报章。
晥彼牵牛，不以服箱。

This is a folk song which is used by the common people to express their gloomy mood.
In ancient Chinese culture, ancestors used personification of the aspect astrology by imagination. In Han Dynasty, the story of Niu Lang and Zhi Nu had been created.

There is a poet in “19 old poems”:
迢迢牵牛星，皎皎河汉女。
芊芊擢素手，札札弄机杼。
终日不成章，泣涕零如雨。
河汉清且浅，想娶复几许。
盈盈一水间，脉脉不得语。

This sad poem has influence on the love story between Niu Lang and Zhi Nu. It inspires the later people to continue the story.

Later, the love story between Niu Lang and Zhi Nu has been enriched in content. In the Six Dynasties era, the love story between Niu Lang and Zhi Nu has been completed. The decedents use the story as a allusion to describe the couples getting together.

The original love story in Chinese culture between Niu Lang and Zhi Nu
It is said that long time ago, there was a smart industrious and sincere boy. He heard from the elders that there was an old ox in the Fu Niu Mountain. Therefore, he wanted to bring the ox home. On day, he was hill and down dale. Finally he got to Fu Niu Mountain and saw an old and thin ox lie on the huge stone. He tried to pull the old ox. But the old ox did not move at all. He thought the ox must be angry so that he brought pile of green grass to the ox. And he kept on feeding the ox for days. When the old ox had been full, it said to the boy: “I was the Jin Niu Xing in the heaven.I stole the grains to the man’s world because there were no grains in the world at all. So I was got rid of by the Tian Di. And my legs had been broken. My legs can be cured only by the dew for 100 days.” When the boy knew that, He stayed with the old ox and pick up the dew to old ox. 100 days later, the old ox’s legs were cured. So he took the old ox home.

The boy treated the old ox so well that everybody called him Niu Lang. And the old ox treated the boy well too. When Niu Lang grew up, his brother intended to live separately. At last, Niu Lang gave everything besides the old ox. Later, he lived in a straw shed with the old ox. They did farm work together. They had grown some beans. When the beans grew up, Niu Lang built a framework for the beans. At night, the old ox said to Niu Lang that if you hide under the shed of beans, you can see the fairies getting from heaven. And the fairies can see you too. Who has peeped you for seven night wants to be your wife. Then I will help you to marry her.