Seven Chinese couples take wedding pictures at a construction site in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, August 24, 2020. 

(Photo via Chinanews.com)

A couple takes pictures in front of a pavilion. (Photo via Chinanews.com)

Dressed in white wedding dresses and black suits, seven couples posed with big smiles in front of unfinished buildings or gardens they helped build.

Seven Chinese couples working at a construction site in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, took wedding pictures at and nearby their worksite on Monday, right before this year's Qixi Festival, which falls on August 25.

The grooms and brides chose different background scenarios at the site, including the pavilion, a garden, a gate, and even unfinished buildings.

First-ever wedding photos

For some, this was the first time they took wedding photos.

Screenshot shows a video about the couples posted on Weibo

"We didn't even take a photo together when we got married, and I always felt I owed her something," said Xu Aiguo, a 57-year-old builder from Hunan, adding that their family was too poor to cover the extra expense at that time. The new pictures are the first wedding photos out of the 35 years of their marriage.

"Before, we had worked at different construction sites in various cities across China, and I've never imagined that one day, I would take these wedding photos here in Changsha," Xu's wife Deng Xiuzhen added.

The unique wedding pictures soon went viral online, gaining over one million views on China's Twitter-like platform Weibo before the Qixi Festival arrived.

Liu Ping is a crane driver at the construction site in Changsha, Hunan, central China. (Photo via Chinanews.com)

　　Liu Ping during makeup before the photoshoot. (Photo via Chinanews.com)

　　Liu takes photos of her husband. (Photo via Chinanews.com)

Many netizens described it as being "romance at the building site," while some commented that "there is no distinction on occupation, and you're the most beautiful building workers and couples."

Their company China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) fully supported the project and acknowledged their contribution as dedicated, hard-working workers.

The photoshoot was an anniversary gift from the company to migrant workers couples, working on different building sites for many years and that have been married for more than 25 years.

Today, August 25, marks the Qixi Festival, or the Chinese Valentine's Day. As one of China's major traditional festivals, it falls on the seventh day of the seventh month on the Chinese lunar calendar.

The festival originated from a 2,000-year-old love tale telling the story of the annual get-together between the mythological Cowherd and Weaver Girl.

The original title of this article is "Romance at building site: Wedding pictures go viral on China's Valentines' Day", some contents have been deleted. 

(Edited by Ye Ke)