[Video by Li Xueqian, Cui Haoyuan, Tang Zhangrui]

Having maintained a long-distance relationship for more than three years, Zhao Yong, a 27-year-old soldier, decided to tie the knot with Zhang Yizhen, a 26-year-old primary school teacher, before Valentine's Day.

Despite having met no more than 20 times over the past three years, the couple, one from Ningxia Hui autonomous region and the other from the neighboring Shaanxi province, vowed to spend the rest of their lives together during Chinese New Year.