A Southwest China county has called for couples to join its group wedding in traditional Chinese style during the May 1 holiday, aiming to demonstrate traditional Chinese wedding culture.

On May 2, couples from around the world will dress in wedding finery based on fashions from the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220AD) and go through the traditional Chinese wedding ceremony in Youyang county, in southeastern Chongqing.

Couples can sign up for the ceremony online with their love stories. The chosen couples will enjoy the ceremony at no cost. About 40 couples have already successfully signed up for the ceremony.

"Youyang is considered to be one of the possible sites for the peach blossom grove in ancient Chinese poet Tao Yuanming's prose Peach Blossom Spring. The place is a paradise filled with peach blossom. The experience of a wedding among peach blossoms in Youyang will be a great memory for the newlyweds," said Li Zijin, an official from Youyang county, explaining why Youyang was chosen as the site for the group wedding.

"Marriage is not only about expensive diamond rings or a fancy house and cars, but also about love and the bond of two hearts," Li said, adding that current Chinese youth are too pragmatic about marriage and value money too much, so the activity is planned to encourage young couples to pursue a pure love.

Among strong cultural influences from the United States, Europe and South Korea, Liu Hongyi, president of the cultural industry research center at Chongqing Technology and Business University, said he believes that wedding in a traditional way will enhance public interest in Chinese culture.

Foreign students in Chongqing are invited to witness the wedding and experience traditional Chinese culture.