Zhongshan Marriage Registration Center hosted the first Qixi Festival group wedding ceremony at 10AM on August 29, where six couples exchanged vows before witnesses.

Included among them were Mr Yu from Sichuan and Ms Ou from Zhongshan. "As Chinese people, we should respect our traditions. This way, our wedding anniversary and Qixi Festival can coincide — a meaningful way to celebrate," Mr Yu said.

That day fell on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, or the traditional Qixi Festival. Over 530 couples registered for marriage across the city, with more than 250 pairs completing the process at Zhongshan Marriage Registration Center alone, marking the highest single-day marriage registration volume in five years for the same period.