BEIJING, Feb. 15 -- A record number of couples registered to marry yesterday, celebrating their love on Valentine's Day.

A couple surnamed Gu (right) and Li enjoy a happy moment after receiving their marriage certificates at the Yangpu District Civil Affairs Bureau yesterday morning. [Shanghai Daily]

    Across Shanghai, 1,720 couples registered to tie the knot, according to the marriage management division of the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau. The bureau said only about 200 couples registered on an average day.

    "This has broken the daily record for marriage registration in the city," said Zhou Jixiang, director of the marriage management division.

    Although February 14 is not considered the luckiest day to tie the knot by Chinese tradition, the charm of the romantic day still attracted many young people, officials said.

    "We have registered 138 couples today, while the number on a normal day is just around 20," said Yang Guozhen, director of Xuhui District's marriage management office.

    Yang and his colleagues began work earlier than usual yesterday morning, and skipped lunch in order to help as many couples as possible finish the paper work needed to register.

    Despite their efforts, lines ran all the way out of the office all day long.

    "We have fallen in love for four years, and my girlfriend chose the special day in memory of our love," Zhang Lu said with a smile as he waited in line to make his marriage official.

    "I considered there would be many people today, so we made an online booking with the registration office," said Zhou Wenjin, Zhang's fiancee. "But now it seems we still have to wait for a long time."

    The couple said they both asked for half a day off work to get married.

    (Source: Shanghai Daily)