New couples flock to registration offices

New couples pose for a picture in Xiangmi Lake Park after completing marriage registration Thursday. Sun Yuchen

Many young couples in the city swarmed into marriage registration offices to tie the knot Thursday, taking the opportunity presented by Valentine’s Day to enter a new stage of their lives.

Online reservations for a marriage registration on Valentine’s Day in most districts of the city had been booked out before the offices opened. Only a few places were available in certain districts, according to a release from the city’s civil administration department Thursday.

In order to satisfy the new couples’ wish to have an official registration on this special day, districts across the city initiated several plans such as allocating more staff and opening offices earlier to ensure smooth service.

As of Thursday afternoon, over 100 couples had registered at the Futian Marriage Registration Office in Xiangmi Lake Park. Many young couples were seen happily hand-in-hand at the scene, accompanied by their friends or relatives.

“We first met at the Sydney airport when required for a random baggage check. By coincidence, we met each other again at the university in Sydney where we had been studying. After graduation, we decided to come to Shenzhen,” a newlywed told the Shenzhen Daily at the Futian Marriage Registration Office.

Another newlywed, who happened to be a reporter, told the Daily that he also took pictures at registration offices on Valentine’s Day to make reports in the past few years and this year it was his turn to be part of the newlywed group.

Most newlyweds were holding a bunch of flowers when arriving at the Futian office. Besides them, many others, including some unattached individuals, bought flowers for Valentine’s Day. According to Taobao, over 70 percent of people born in the 1980s have bought themselves flowers from Taobao. About 60 percent of the flowers were purchased from Taobao by women on this year’s Valentine’s Day while 70 percent were bought by men on Valentine’s Day in 2017. Shenzhen ranks third on the list of market share of flower sales on Taobao this year.

China Southern Airlines transported nearly 60 tons of flowers, including roses, lilies and butterfly orchids, from Kunming to Shenzhen between Feb. 1 and Wednesday to ensure market supply.