Rush to marry on China's Valentine's Day

Shanghai lovebirds flocked to registration centers across the city on Tuesday, the Qixi Festival, also known as Chinese Valentine's Day. 

A total of 1,332 couples tied the knot on the day, compared with the normal 300 to 400.

The figure for last year's Qixi Festival on August 7 was 731.

The Pudong New Area, Minhang and Xuhui districts had the largest number of people saying "I do" — 331, 88 and 87 respectively — according to the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau. 

It is a long-standing tradition in Chinese culture to get married on an auspicious date.

A total of 2,567 couples tied the knot on May 20 this year as “May 20, 2020” sounds similar to “ai ni ai ni wo ai ni” in Chinese, or “love you, love you, I love you.”

Some 2,697 couples said "I do" at centers across the city on May 20 last year, even surpassing the Valentine's Day figure of 2,273.

On January 4, 2013, nearly 7,300 couples said “I do” because the date sounded like “forever love” in Chinese.

On another auspicious date, October 10, 2010, local authorities registered marriages of 10,150 couples, a record high.

In Chinese tradition, the number 10-10-10 symbolizes perfection.