A total of 123 young couples in the city of Ruzhou, Henan province, registered for marriage during Qixi Festival, August 13.

Qixi Festival, which falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, is known as Chinese Valentine's Day. Many young couples are choosing to register for marriage during the holiday.

An official from the civil affairs bureau of Ruzhou said that recently they were receiving over 10 calls daily regarding marriage registration on Qixi. In order to ensure the registration process went smoothly, the bureau took measures to book and issue queue numbers. The bureau also added staff and prolonged work hours to ensure all couples had a chance to register.

'A marriage certificate is the best gift for my girlfriend on Chinese Valentine's Day. It's a special day for us,' the newlywed Mr Liu said.

By Huang Pei

Edited by Michael Thai