Saturday 30 March 2013

Meanwhile in: China

Hello there, I thought a new series would be in place to sprout some life into this blog again. The new series' title is: "Meanwhile in". Every episode something remarkable from somewhere on this globe will be discussed. As for the first episode, I will be discussing the 'Rent A Boyfriend' services which are popping up all over China.

In China it is common fashion, as a female, to bring home a boyfriend when visiting home during holidays like the Chinese New Year. Most people want to go home, but are afraid to do so because they are not getting any younger and have not found a partner yet. This will result in nagging parents.

"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," said Meng Guangyong, 29, who is running an online boyfriend-broker business and is also renting himself out. Hu Xingdou, an economist and social commentator said: "It's not like in the West where the individual is very independent, and their love life has nothing to do with their parents."

Slogans such as: "Need a boyfriend to face the family?", and "Not getting any younger and still dreading facing the nagging parents?" are being used by these services. The menu is not particularly cheap. Activities such as normal chatting, 30 yuan ($5) and hour, eating a meal, bill ofcourse being paid by the renter, 50 yuan an hour. The package for a whole day: 1000 yuan. 

Holding hands, hugs and kisses are also common options and some are ruling out anything more intimate than that, while others left the door open, although demanded the right to see health records on request. It's not only rent-a-boyfriend, but also the other way around, rent-a-girlfriend services are as commen as renting a boyfriend.

Source


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