The hours are ticking away to the stroke of midnight, soon to signal the arrival of the international day of amour in the Middle Kingdom.

Across the country, couples are making plans small and big to celebrate the joyous occasion together, but what is there to do for the boys and girls who have yet to pair off? This year, Baidu Map is doing something special to spread the spirit of love. For a limited time, users can log on to http://wwf.map.baidu.com/zt/ through PC clients, or http://wwf.map.baidu.com/mobile through iPhone and Android mobile clients for a little taste of Baidu Map’s V-day magic.

Upon entering either of the above URLs, a giant “Map of Love” will quickly present itself, revealing “love marks” left behind by others in all parts of the city as well as across the country. By looking at the colors and shapes of the “love marks” on the map, users will be able to tell right away whether a specific “love mark” was left behind by a single man, a single lady, or a couple in love.

Users can add their own “love marks” onto Baidu’s “Map of Love” in just three easy steps. First, they can begin by clicking on the button that says 我要标注 (wǒ yào biāozhù), meaning “I want to make a mark.” This will trigger a pop-up window that will ask the users to fill out their gender/relationship statuses, along with location specifications, nicknames or real names, and personal “declarations of love” (爱的宣言 ài de xuān yán). To the right side of the pop-up window is a map with a jumping locator icon that can be dragged across the map to indicate the exact location of the user. Singles can drag the locator to a spot in order specify a meet-up place for anyone interested, while lovers can use it to share with others where they plan to spend a romantic evening on Valentine’s Day. Once that’s done, all that’s left to do is to click on “submit” (提交 tíjiāo), and their “love marks” will show up immediately on the front-page map. The icons will signify the  users’ gender/relationship statuses, while the personalized “declarations of love” are made readily available for viewing upon a mouse-over of the individual  icons.

Users can take greater advantage of this special V-day feature by sharing their “love mark invitations” on microblogs and other SNS websites. Those in relationships can use this personalized “love mark” to set special meet-up place for Valentine’s Day with their other halves, while singles can send invitations to guys or girls who tickle their fancies and plan romantic dates without having to face the awkward risk of possible rejections.

Here at Baidu, we believe that everyone deserves a fair chance at love, just like everyone deserves equal access to information on the Internet. Baidu Map wants to play Cupid’s little helper this year by making love confessions and romantic plan-making a much more playful and stress-free experience for its users.

Click here to see a wacky yet heartwarming animation clip on Baidu Maps special Valentine’s Day feature!

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