Beijing extends service hours to meet May 20 marriage rush

In order to meet the soaring marriage registration needs of young people who are rushing to tie the knot on Saturday, May 20, the Beijing municipal government announced that the related departments will extend their service hours.

Chinese young couples tend to register for marriage or conduct other romantic actions, like proposing, on May 20 since "520" is a homophone of "I love you" in Chinese.

According to the Beijing Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau earlier this week, the city's marriage registration authorities will provide longer service hours on May 20.

The bureau stated that, on this Saturday, the city's marriage registration authorities will launch extended services to meet the needs of citizens for obtaining certificates.

"Our usual extended service hours on Saturdays are from 9am to 1pm, but we will definitely work overtime this Saturday," shared a staff member from the bureau.

According to the bureau, the number of marriage registration appointments in Beijing has exceeded 4,400 pairs. To avoid crowds gathering, citizens in the capital need to make an appointment before going for the marriage registration.

Li Yihui, a young woman who plans to get married this year with her boyfriend, said she thinks even though it's a good idea to obtain the certificate on May 20, it lacks a little uniqueness since so many people have choosen that day in recent years.

"There are many other good choices, such as one of our birthdays or the anniversaries of some special dates during our relationship," she said. "Then, the date will be only meaningful for us, which is private and special."