Shanghai couples rush to book popular marriage dates

Couples in Shanghai are rushing to secure marriage registration slots for two popular dates, with many districts already fully booked, local news portal thepaper.cn has reported.

As of Thursday, the municipal government "Suishenban" service app showed no remaining slots for next week's Qixi festival (Aug 19) in several major districts. Qixi, often dubbed "Chinese Valentine's Day", is a traditional romantic festival rooted in a mythological love story between a cowherd and a weaver girl. Data from 2025 showed that the festival ranked among Shanghai's top three busiest days for marriage registrations.

Another sought-after date is Sept 12. In Mandarin Chinese, the pronunciation of the numbers "9-12" (jiu-yi-er) sounds nearly identical to the phrase "jiu yao ai", meaning "must love" or "bound to love". Slots for this date in Changning district were reportedly snapped up within a single minute online.

Couples who miss out on online booking can still register in person by queueing at marriage registration offices on the day, according to the Suishenban app.

Under the revised Marriage Registration Regulations implemented in May last year, regional restrictions and household registration booklet (hukou) requirements were removed across China, allowing couples to register at any marriage registration office nationwide.

Ma Tan contributed to this story.