Photo: CFP

 

Zhang Liang and his new fiancée Liu Yan are questioned by police after more than 100 friends and relatives collected to witness his marriage proposal on Sunday in downtown Chengdu, Sichuan Province. Photo: CFP

A man was taken into custody after his streetside marriage proposal attracted too large of a crowd for cops in Chengdu, Sichuan Province.

Zhang Liang, 27, was "educated" by police for organizing an unapproved public gathering where he proposed to his girlfriend Liu Yan in a busy pedestrian area near Chunxi Street in downtown Chengdu, local media reported.

The ceremony was witnessed by around 100 friends and relatives at Zhang's invitation. The romantic display also caught the attention of even more onlookers, including officers.

Police charged Zhang with violating a regulation that requires public assemblies to be registered and approved by police in advance, as specified by The Law on Assemblies, Processions and Demonstrations.

Public opinion was split on social media, where some disapproved of Zhang's proposal and defended the police action.

"The police were only doing their job. Proposing in public places disrupts traffic and may inconvenience others. Registering gatherings with police is also good for maintaining public order," Sina Weibo user "Tangjiushihande" wrote.

Others accused police of lacking compassion and "being oversensitive." "It's really a buzzkill that the cops crashed such a romantic ceremony."

"I wonder if the millions across China who do public square fitness dancing are registered or not," netizen "Garinzhou" wrote.