District joins with international cruise ship to promote romance at sea

Local government is teaming up with cruise companies to promote romance on the sea ahead of the Qixi Festival, also known as Chinese Valentine's Day, on Saturday.

The government of Hongkou District has cooperated with international cruise ship Blue Dream Melody to unveil "Tian'ai Road at Sea" to encourage couples to celebrate special events on a cruise trip and boost the cruise economy.

The 520-meter-long Tian'ai Road in Hongkou District is famed as the most romantic road in the city and attracts many new couples to take pictures as Tian'ai, in Chinese, means sweet love. A marriage registration station was also established on the road after it became famous, and is popular with couples.

The North Bund in Hongkou is an important cruise terminal in the city.

Twelve new couples participated in a ceremony on the cruise on Friday to celebrate their marriages.

Zhou Ruijie, a bride, said she just registered at the station on Tian'ai Road on July 25 and applied to participate in the event on the cruise after seeing a poster.

"Tian'ai Road at sea is very romantic," she said. "After visiting the cruise today, we are considering having a cruise trip as our honeymoon."

Officials from the Shanghai Modern Service Industry Association said the event is part of the Shanghai International Cruise Festival, which runs through this month.

To celebrate the festival, the Shanghai Sailing Post Office launched special postcards, stamps, and postmarks featuring the images of Shanghai's ports and cruises to promote Shanghai's cruise history and development.

The festival is also a highlight of the "Shanghai Summer" international consumption season.

The Shanghai International Cruise Port has become the leading cruise home port in Asia and the fourth busiest globally.

From January to June, the port, including the Wusongkou and North Bund cruise terminals, received 89 cruise ships and about 592,700 passengers.