SHANGHAI’S marriage centers opened earlier than usual as unmarried couples lined up as early as 5 in the morning to tie the knot as the date — May 20, or 5-20, sounds similar to “wo ai ni,” or “I love you,” in Chinese.

But amid the joy, there were also murmurs of protest with some men complaining there were “too many dates” in a year for them to say “I love you!”

Yesterday, as many as 3,919 couples got their marriage certificates in Shanghai — about 10 times the usual daily figure.