This year's Valentine's Day may disappoint love-struck couples in Shenzhen, as the coming Spring Festival due four days later on Sunday is already taking the sheen off Cupid.

Red lanterns, Spring Festival scrolls and other Chinese New Year's decorations were widely available in the city's major shopping centers such as The MIXc and CITIC Plaza yesterday, with chocolate, the must-have item for Valentine's Day, not as prominently displayed.

A flower shop owner surnamed Liu said at her stall near the Xiangmihu Metro station that she had prepared only a few bunches of roses for Valentine's Day.

"Many couples have traveled to their hometown for the Chinese New Year holiday, as a large number of population in Shenzhen are migrants," she said.

While the French restaurant Chez Moi in The MIXc is offering an 888-yuan (US$115) set dinner for two and Kempinski Hotel has a jaw-dropping 88,888-yuan Valentine's Day package, most local restaurants are focused on family banquets on Chinese lunar New Year's eve.

"The market and profit for a Valentine's Day meal are much smaller than the New Year's eve banquet, which involves the whole families and is regarded as the meal for a year," said a manager surnamed Zhang with a local Cantonese restaurant.

"The New Year holiday will also last for seven days, while Valentine's Day will last for just one day," he said.

Although Valentine's Day is low-key this year, pink balloons and red roses are still visible in some stores, cinemas and restaurants.

However, a Shenzhen Daily reader surnamed Zuo working in an IT company said the workload was especially heavy before Chinese New Year's eve, and therefore he had no time for Valentine's Day.

While many think that Valentine's Day is only for couples, singles have their reasons to await the occasion. Many will join blind date parties.

"I'm looking forward to finding my Mr. Right at the party for my next Valentine's Day," said a single woman who declined to reveal her name.

Editor: Donald