May 19, 2021
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Two local governments in China have apologised for suspending divorce registrations on China’s version of Valentine’s Day after a public outcry.
Authorities in Kaili city, Guizhou province and Pingjiang county, Hunan province, have backed down on the temporary closure of divorce services on Thursday when they expect to see a surge in couples getting married.
May 20 is an unofficial holiday in China for lovers as its short form “520” sounds phonetically similar to “Wo Ai Ni” in Chinese, meaning “I Love You”.
The civil affairs bureaus in both areas announced last week that they would decline any divorce application this coming Thursday because their staff would be too busy with marriage registration.