A wedding ceremony is held at the Changshou Lake scenic area in Changshou District of southwest China's Chongqing, May 20, 2023. Located in Changshou District of southwest China's Chongqing, Changshou Lake is the largest artificial lake in southwest China, and is rich in natural resources.(Xinhua)

Saturday marked China's Network Valentine's Day, commonly known as "520" - In Chinese the numbers and ''I love you'' sound similar. Many young people expressed their love for each other, while others got married thanks to the green light programs offered by civil affairs departments that remained open this weekend. The festival shows China's younger generations are becoming more open and willing to express their feelings. 

This festival originated in the early 21st century from some pop songs created by musicians, who connected these digits to "online lovers." Since then, its popularity has continued to grow online, becoming an unofficial holiday among hundreds of millions of young Chinese people. On this day, many Chinese, especially the youths, boldly show their affection toward their sweethearts. Many of them choose this beautiful spring day to get marriage certificates, while others hold their wedding ceremonies. According to media reports, the Harbin Institute of Technology even "opened a green channel" for students who planned to register for marriage on Saturday and Sunday. 

Yet for most Chinese today, two other festivals may be more commonly known:  Valentine's Day on February 14 from the West and the traditional Qixi festival, which falls on the seventh day of the seventh month of the Chinese calendar. While the former remembs Christian Valentine, who sacrificed his life for his lover, the latter came from a Chinese fairy tale, in which The Cowherd and The Weaver Girl, who had been separated by the Heavenly King, are given the chance to meet once a year using a "bridge of magpies." Different from these two festivals, 520 focuses on young people, being fashionable and implicit love. Traditionally, Chinese people are indirect when it comes to express their feelings, but the simple figures of "520" make it a lot easier for them to do so. Those who may be shy about saying "I love you" face to face have found a smarter way to express their hearts through online media. That is why this festival is so popular among Chinese people, especially the youths.

According to sociologists, the emergence of this festival resulted from the great pressure on young people from their work, study as well as their strong aspiration for a more robust social life. So in this interactive and virtual community, they can easily find something common to share. Therefore, the dull numbers were turned into "romantic" digits and later a festival. 

Over the last few days, "520" has become a hot topic in young people's WeChat messages. Even middle-aged people in their 40s or 50s have also followed suit. Dads sent flowers, chocolates and cakes to moms, while the "Sweet 520" blog earned 470 million views, becoming the top microblog in China on Saturday. A nursing home in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province, even prepared butches of roses for nine men above 80 years old so they could say "520" to their beloved. 

As a lovers' holiday created by Chinese themselves on the internet, 520 shows a more open society and more inclusive culture.