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If you live in Asia or have plenty of Asian friends, you may have noticed a trend on social media where many of them have posted something containing the numbers 520 and 521.
If you aren't familiar with Chinese culture, the sudden glut of these particular numbers online may have left you confused – why are my Asian friends putting them up and what do they mean?
To get directly to the point: 520 represents the date May 20 (you'll have noticed this to be date on which your friends have intensely spammed the number), and has become a number associated with love in modern Chinese culture due to the number phonetically sounding like "I love you" or "我爱你" ("Wo ai ni") in Chinese.
IMAGE: DW.com
Over time, May 20 and the number 520 have both become symbolic of love and romance in Chinese communities everywhere, and many Chinese people now celebrate May 20 as another Valentine's Day equivalent by showing their partners plenty of affection and being all lovey-dovey on social media sites.
Aside from the date sounding like an affectionate phrase, there have been a few other theories of how the number and date became a celebrated day of love in China.
Some have claimed that the association stemmed from Taiwanese singer Fan Xialoan's single "Digital Love", while others think it came from a song by an online musician.
Following the recognition of 520 as a symbol of romance, the number 521 also gradually became associated with love. Lovers in China have now bestowed the number 521 with the meaning "I am willing", and both May 20 and May 21 are celebrated as Online Valentine's Days in China every year.
They take love seriously.
Of course, with these dates being a celebration of love just like Valentine's Day, individuals and businesses have all tried to capitalize on the occasion in some way or another.
Individuals celebrating 520 and 521 have been known to take the opportunity to express their feelings for their partners or crushes through social media or online chat platforms, while companies in China have especially gone to great lengths to market and sell their products with some added romantic flair.
IMAGE: Shine
As of late, the numbers 520 and 521 have become more prominent among the Chinese that most of them now consider the dates May 20 and May 21 to be auspicious, which is unsurprising if you understand how much importance Chinese culture tends to place on certain dates and numbers.
Many Chinese people now consider May 20 a date that is extremely appealing for marriage or proposals. Illustrating this perfectly, a total of 2,567 wedding vows were exchanged at marriage registration centers in Shanghai on May 20, 2020 – significantly more than the usual 300 to 400 per day.
Now that you understand the significance of "520" and "521", you may just want to take the opportunity to express your feelings to your significant other or crush when the Chinese Online Valentine's Days roll around every year.
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Cover image sourced from LiveAbout.
