Beating the heat, lovebirds in Shanghai proved their love was hotter than the sizzling temperatures as they celebrated Qixi Festival, also known as Chinese Valentine's Day, in a variety of ways on last Thursday.
Sweet love permeated the day. On the 520-meter-long Tian'ai Road in Hongkou District, known as the most romantic road in the city, lovebirds walked hand in hand, whispering to each other – Tian'ai, in Chinese, means sweet love.
They posed for photos on the street, left their words of love on a pink graffiti wall, and delivered postcards at the famous "Love Post Office." Some had wedding photos taken.
Lovebirds flocked to marriage registration centers across Shanghai to exchange vows as well. A total of 503 couples tied the knot on last Thursday.
Online orders surpassed offline ones due to the scorching weather.
Online platform Dingdong Maicai said orders for roses surged nearly 50 percent this year compared with last year – it sold more than 1 million.
A bunch of 11 roses was the top seller, while an increasing number of residents are making niche and personalized options on flowers.
But not all flower shops are that lucky as some said business was sluggish due to the pandemic. At the Hongqiao flower market in Minhang District, some shop owners said they only had 10-plus orders for this year's Qixi.
"Business is so-so due to the COVID-19 pandemic," said Shen Yun, a shop owner. The shop had more than 100 orders during last year's Qixi.
Shanghai-based online travel operator Trip.com said it had witnessed a 85 percent increase in hotel orders for the day from last Thursday in Shanghai, with high-star hotels favored. Overall, orders since July 25 for domestic hotels doubled that of last year, and more than 50 percent orders came from women, it said.
