Under pressure to marry, men have resorted to hiring a woman to please their parents, at least temporarily. Online ads are offering fake fiancées about 80 yuan (£8) a day.
Young Chinese from smaller towns and villages still face extreme pressure to marry in their early twenties. The "rent-a-date" trade surfaces on internet bulletin boards as the week-long holiday nears, fuelled by professionals looking for a pretend partner to smile and say the right things.
"Girlfriend wanted, will pay per day," one man who gave his surname as Wang wrote on one board. "Requirements: pretty, good body, around 1.6m, under 23 years old."
Wang, 25, grew up in a rural part of central China and works in a steel plant in Chengde, north of Beijing. He is under the average age for marrying in big cities – about 29 for men and 27 for women – but in rural China, the average marriage ages are 23 for men and 22 for women.
"I've just graduated from college and have no money. It's unrealistic for me to date a girl," he said. "But if I went home without a girlfriend, my parents will be worried about me." He paid his partner 80 yuan a day and her travel and accommodation costs.
No comments:
Post a Comment