China Rent a Boyfriend, Taobao: 'Fake Boyfriend' Dating Sites New Hot, Stress-Free Trend for Single Ladies during Chinese Lunar New Year

Ladies, sill looking for that romantic someone to bring home to family and share the Chinese Lunar New Year with? Well, Taobao.com has the right man waiting for you - with no strings attached! According to recent reports, several young Chinese women are turning to such rent-a-boyfriend online "dating" services to kiss their single-life woes goodbye... at least for the New Year. The holidays are stressful enough, especially for young, professional Chinese women who feel pressured by their loved ones to "marry young." So there's no harm in bringing home an adorable, charming, FAKE boyfriend to keep the parents happy, right?

Apparently not, since several rent-a-boyfriend services (such as the popular e-commerce website, Taobao.com) are currently booming, thanks to the upcoming Chinese New Year.

Taobao currently has about 300 fake boyfriends listed on its site for rent. While a boyfriend-for-a-day typically cost around $50, prices do vary. The standard boyfriend package comes with hand holding, cuddly hugs, and smiles all-around. Kissing, conversing with family members, going on romantic outings, and celebrating with alcohol all cost a little extra.

Surly some readers are wondering - why pay for a fake, temporary boyfriend? According to the Globe and Mail, it's easier than having to find a real one in today's hectic world:

"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."

Statistics show that several young Chinese women feel pressured by their families to marry young. According to a recent New York Times report, unmarried Chinese women over the age of 27 are typically considered "leftover women."

But thanks to sites like Taobao, no one ever has to know that.

With the exciting Lunar New Year right around the corner (the Year of the Snake gets underway Sunday, Feb. 10), these rent-a-boyfriend services are working non-stop to provide Chinese women with the perfect men to bring home for the holidays.  

Zhou Qihao, a rent-a-boyfriend provider who typically charges $65 for women to take him home, recently explained to the Globe and Mail about his customers:

"Some are divorced, some want help getting rid of another boyfriend, some don't want to go to a wedding by themselves... [These women] just want someone to go with them to their hometown for three days, just to meet their parents and let them know they have a boyfriend."

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."

So what do Mstarz readers think, is renting a boyfriend to show off to the fam one day a year a good idea?