Rent a boyfriend bck home

Who to bring back home for the Spring Festival dinner? That's the question many single urbanites struggle with before they head back home for the Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on February 10th this year.

As young people go home for family reunions, their parents, especially those in small towns and rural areas, frequently try to talk them into, even pressure them to get married as soon as possible.

There is a traditional Chinese saying, "bu-xiao-you-san, wu-hou-wei-da," which literally means that there are three kinds of filial ingratitude towards one's parents, with the worst one being not to get married and have a child.

So to deal with the insistent parents, some single people find a simple solution -renting a girlfriend or boyfriend to go back home with. This year microblogs, online shopping sites and group-buying websites are all gearing up to meet the demand of those who are looking for the right co-actor. Jonathan Alpart takes a closer look.

Search for "renting a boyfriend to go home " on taobao.com, China's largest online shopping website, plenty of online stores will surface offering fake boyfriends or girlfriends for rent who can accompany the buyer back home during Spring Festival.

A 28-year-old man surnamed Sun is one of those who will be a temporary boyfriend for a price. The ex-marketing manager of a company in Beijing is now running an online store offering various escorting services ranging from listening to his clients' worries, accompanying them shopping or going to parties, and acting as the client's boyfriend to meet the parents.

"I asked for 300 yuan a day for 'meeting the parents service'. My job include helping with the household chores, chatting with the parents and visiting relatives. I might charge additional fees for extra demands."

Sun says he got his inspiration for the business from his own experience of being urged to marry. This year, he started to advertise the service two months ago and expects brisk business during the Spring Festival. He promises that there is no safety issue involved whatsoever:

"The clients shouldn't have any safety concerns. I believe that there is an increasing market for the business, and I'm going to do it long term. I'm also worried that I may get cheated or run into danger. After all, it is me who have to travel to a new place together with a stranger."