- Pressured to get married: bachelors dread questions over love life during Chinese New Year festivities
- Market for renting a girlfriend to bring home to meet the parents is booming
- Prices for fake girlfriend start at 500 RMB (75$ US) per day
As many of China’s singles are on the way home for Chinese New Year, they are dreading the pressure they are about to face – that of their parents asking them why they are not married yet. To avoid nagging questions, there is a growing trend over the past few years of bachelors renting a girlfriend for New Year. A booming market has emerged where women offer their services of being the perfect girlfriend for a day.
The pressure facing single adults in China has been at the focus of public attention for some time now, People’s Daily writes. Renting a girlfriend for Chinese New Year has become a solution for many who don’t want to face another year of annoying questions about their (non-existent) love life.
The 30-year-old Bai Gang is an IT worker in Guangdong, who broke up with his last girlfriend five years ago. For him it is not so much of a problem that he is single now, People’s Daily writes, but to his parents it is. Bai Gang therefore feels that renting a girlfriend when he goes home for New Year is the best option for everyone; his parents will not be worried anymore and he only has to tell some white lies.
For an article What’s on Weibo did about this issue in 2014 (see: Rent-a-Date and Chinese New Year), we found that it was possible to go on Taobao, China’s largest e-commerce platform, to look for a partner to rent. This year, this is no longer possible. When searching to ‘rent a girlfriend’ or ‘rent a boyfriend’, Taobao now says that “according to laws and policies, we cannot show you these results.”
But also without Taobao, the market for renting a date is booming. According to the People’s Daily journalist, one can join groups on social media platforms where girls offer their services. Tencent’s QQ, for example, has one group for renting-a-date that anyone can join for 2 RMB (0,30$ US) to meet a suitable fake partner for the holidays. Prices vary around 1000 RMB (150$) per day, with the lowest prices at 500 RMB (75$) and the highest around 1200 RMB (182$), depending on one’s looks and (academic) background.
While men looking for a fake girlfriend often have concerns about her trustworthiness and whether or not their parents will like her, the women offering their services also have their worries. One woman interviewed by People’s Daily tells them she first talks with potential clients to see what their expectations are. She makes it very clear that she will not share a bed with him, she says, as some customers have “inappropriate wishes”.
On social media platforms WeChat and Weibo, many new accounts also offer their services to those who want to rent a girlfriend or boyfriend. The following account on WeChat says: “Rent a date for Spring Festival. It’s almost time for Chinese New Year, to help out those who don’t have a partner yet, and avoid pressure from the family, we recommend our services!”
Renting a girlfriend for the holidays temporarily solves one problem. But since the most dreaded questions for Chinese New Year also include those on whether or not you own a car, have a house, got a raise, passed your exams, and are planning on children or are pregnant yet, we can only wonder if these kinds of Chinese New Year services will come to include more ‘fake it ’til you make it‘ possibilities. Rent a baby, anyone?
-By Manya Koetse
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