It is they who are expected to bear the brunt of the pain and shame of being unattached on the 14th February. It is they who, fueled by their loneliness, are expected to flock to the shops to buy cards, chocolates and flowers to shower upon an unsuspecting stranger in a desperate show of adoration.

That is not love. Even Geoffrey Chaucer, the literary genius who transformed a day dedicated to Christian martyrs into a day of romantic expression back in the 1300's would surely recognize the hypocrisy of it all.

It isn't as though what we're left with is just harmless fun.

Whilst the retailer rubs his hands with glee at the extra revenue, singletons of both sexes are left feeling sordid and soiled by the whole so-called celebration.

To buy a token gift, a trinket of no emotional value, is a demeaning experience. To receive it is even more excruciating. A show of gratitude, a pretense of reciprocated feelings is the least of what is expected.

It's a pressure that is unwanted, a cruel insistence that acceptance of the established retail rules are the one true way to find your soul mate.

Take it from me, there is another way.

Reject the heart shaped balloon or novelty cuddly toy and remember true love is an everyday, all year, all consuming passion. Not something that can be perennially bought or sold on one day in the month of February just because the adverts tell you so.

The taking of something so pure as love and turning it into a something as sordid as the pursuit of profit is a travesty for us all.

Stand firm, reject the marketing hype, and show your partner your love is just as strong on the other 364 days of the year as it is on St Valentines Day itself.

The author is a communications professional, film maker and published writer with a keen interest in life.

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn