In Chinese tradition, the Old Man Under the Moon ties an invisible red cord between two people who are meant to marry. The thread represents a meeting that is already on its way.
Record, Folk and Modern are kept apart, and each one carries its source. Spotted a better source? Tell us.
In “The Inn of Betrothal”, collected in Li Fuyan’s Xu Xuanguai Lu, a young man meets an old man reading by moonlight. The old man says he ties red cords to the feet of people who will one day marry, and no distance can undo the knot.
At Taipei’s Xiahai City God Temple, people hoping to meet someone pray to Yue Lao and take home a small amulet with their offering.
Shops today sell red string bracelets under this story. We found no early record of people wearing the thread as a bracelet: in the tale it is invisible. Wearing one is a modern way to keep the story close.