An astounding 7,300 couples got married in China's Shanghai metropolis on a date considered auspicious - 2013-1-4 - as the six digits when spoken in Chinese sound like the phrase "love you for life".

Lin Kewu, deputy director of the marriage administration office at the Shanghai civil affairs bureau, confirmed that 7,300 couples got married on the date.

The number surpassed that of Dec 12, 2012 or 12-12-12 when a total of 4,883 couples tied the knot, the Shanghai Daily reported.

Since 2008, dates with auspicious meanings have become popular choices for marriage.

The city's daily record for marriage registrations was set October 10, 2010 or 10-10-10, when 10,150 couples became husband and wife.

On Friday, the Pudong New Area in Shanghai led the way with 1,301 couples getting married there. Minhang at 543 and Baoshan at 492 rounded up the top three districts in the city.