A massive rush for marriage registration has hit China ahead of May 20 this year. The numeric combination 520 sounds similar to wo ai ni, the Chinese phrase for I love you. Consequently, countless couples choose this date to seal their lifelong romantic bond. Marriage registration slots across many Chinese cities have already sold out completely. Local media reports confirmed that the love-filled date remains less than two weeks away.
In Hangzhou, marriage registration on May 20 is completely booked across all main urban areas. The city’s civil affairs reservation platform shows zero availability throughout the day. Hangzhou Daily reported this information on Saturday. Similarly, Guangzhou shows an identical situation across all 11 districts. Statistics from the province’s official online marriage registration system confirm the news. As of 2 pm on Friday, all 15 offices have zero remaining quotas. Therefore, demand for marriage registration extends across southern China as well.
Huicheng district in Guangdong reports even higher demand than previous years. A staff member confirmed that all 140 quota slots are fully booked. Local media outlet Huizhou.com reported this development on Saturday. Furthermore, Chengdu in Sichuan Province has released over 3,100 marriage registration slots for May 20. More than 2,500 of those slots have already been booked by eager couples. Hongxing News reported these figures over the weekend. In Nanjing, more than 1,400 couples have reserved their marriage registration for May 20. Over 400 bookings come from Xuanwu district alone, according to People’s Daily.
Couples have also fully booked marriage registration at scenic venues across China. The Jinling romance center, Fuzi Temple scenic area, and Gulou Plaza have no remaining vacancies. Some registration sites have even run out of slots for May 21. Many netizens have shared tips for snatching reservations on social media platforms. One Guangdong netizen posted that she secured a slot thanks to an extra quota. Other users suggested making phone inquiries or using computers to attempt reservations.
Relevant authorities have introduced considerate measures to help newlyweds. The Sayram Lake marriage registration center in Xinjiang will increase quotas for May 20 and May 21. The attraction’s official WeChat account announced this decision. The center has also implemented real-name reservation and on-site verification to prevent scalping. Huicheng district will deploy additional staff and open extra service windows. The newly revised Marriage Registration Regulations took effect on May 10, 2025. These regulations have removed geographical restrictions for marriage registration.
Therefore, couples can now register across provincial borders easily. In the year since implementation, authorities have handled 682,000 interprovincial marriage registration cases. The Ministry of Civil Affairs released data for 2025 showing 6.763 million marriage registrations nationwide. This figure represents an increase of 657,000 pairs compared to 2024. The growth rate stands at 10.76 percent, according to CCTV News.
