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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 literally1 means that there are three kinds of filial ingratitude2 towards one's parents, with the worst one being not to get married and have a child.
So to deal with the insistent3 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 acting4 as the client's boyfriend to meet the parents.
"I asked for 300 yuan a day for 'meeting the parents service'. My job include helping5 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 whatsoever6:
"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."
To assure customers of his sincerity7, Sun usually arrange face-to-face meetings in a public place and show them his ID card. He will also request the potential client to produce an ID.
Sun says he will turn down the deal if the two don't look like a good match after seeing the customer and talking to her. He says if he himself is not convinced, neither will the client's parents.
Though the "fake beau" rental8 business is flourishing as the Spring Festival approaches it is also prompting fierce debate online.
Let's first hear from those who are for it:
"I see nothing wrong with renting a boyfriend to go home and have dinners with the parents during the Spring Festival. The girl is doing this simply to make her parents happy, albeit9 for a short period of time."
"You know what, I might start to think about that. This way, I can be free of the babbling10 of my parents, and avoid the blind dates arranged by my parents during the Spring Festival."
But there are many who are strongly against the idea:
"Finding a life-long partner is a serious issue and I don't think it appropriate to rent a lover just for the sake of comforting the parents. Being single is not a shame. We should be honest with ourselves and our parents."
"It's an interesting idea, but I don't think it will work. The parent will see that no chemistry exists between the couple."
"Is it safe to bring a stranger home? What if he takes advantage of the situation? Three hundred yuan a day, plus transportation and accommodation fees, that's also a lot of money to put down on something that is a lie."
Meanwhile, no parents seem to like the idea:
"Renting a temporary boyfriend or girlfriend to please the parents? It is cheating. I would rather my child come home alone and be honest to me."
"I heard of that but I don't like it at all. True, we are eager to see our adult children have lifetime partners and settle down as early as possible, but we don't want to give them too much pressure. They are living in a society which is more competitive and diversified11. As parents, we simply want them to be happy."
According to Beijing Normal University Associate Professor of psychology12 Lin Xiuyun, some people use these services because they are lonely.
Lin says people should have a positive attitude about being single and he says the upcoming Spring Festival can be an opportunity to reflect on what one wants from a relationship.
For his part, Hu Xue, a lawyer in Shanghai stresses that such a service is not protected by law:
"The so-called 'human rental' contract is legally null. So even an agreement has been reached by the two parties, it's invalid13. Young people should think carefully about the consequences before acting upon that. "
For CRI, I'm Jonathan Alpart.
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1
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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ingratitude
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| n.忘恩负义 | |
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insistent
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| adj.迫切的，坚持的 | |
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acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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whatsoever
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| adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么 | |
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sincerity
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| n.真诚，诚意；真实 | |
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rental
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| n.租赁，出租，出租业 | |
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albeit
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| conj.即使；纵使；虽然 | |
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babbling
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| n.胡说，婴儿发出的咿哑声adj.胡说的v.喋喋不休( babble的现在分词 )；作潺潺声（如流水）；含糊不清地说话；泄漏秘密 | |
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diversified
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| adj.多样化的，多种经营的v.使多样化，多样化( diversify的过去式和过去分词 )；进入新的商业领域 | |
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psychology
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| n.心理，心理学，心理状态 | |
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invalid
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| n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的 | |
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