China’s Rent A Boyfriend Service A Big Hit For The New Year

Need a companion for the New Year? If you’re in China, you can just rent a boyfriend.

According to the Telegraph, several girls in China will be turning to a rent a boyfriend service when they return home for the Chinese New Year.

The site Taobao currently has about 300 boyfriends for rent. The prices vary depending on the boyfriend but most cost about $50 a day. That comes with hand holding and an unlimited amount of hugs. Kissing (and talking to old people) costs a little extra.

The boyfriends also offer services like going shopping, watching movies, or attending parties. Some even charge for imbibing alcohol.

So why would anyone pay for this service? The Globe and Mail writes:

“Because so many Chinese live and work away from their native towns and villages, and travel home only once a year, the treasured family time is weighted with pressure to show what you’ve accomplished over the last 12 months.”

According to the NY Times, there is a lot of pressure on Chinese women to marry young. A recent report even identified unmarried women over the age of 27 as “leftover women.”

Meng Guangyong, a 29-year-old who runs a rent a boyfriend service in China, told CTV News:

“Young people both want to go home yet are afraid to go home … If they haven’t found a partner yet, when they go home parents will nag them or send them on blind dates or find someone to introduce them to people. Then even though all you wanted was to enjoy a happy new year, in the end nobody in the family is happy.”

What do you think of the rent a boyfriend service? Is this a good way to make everyone happy over the holidays?