Need a boyfriend this Valentine's Day? Rent One!

image via tumblr

Boyfriend rentals are booming in China this Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day is giving a big boost to the Chinese economy. Taobao.com, is currently the most popular site in terms of searching for a “rental boyfriend” and they offer over 2,000 results to its users at a variety of prices.

The prices aren't too bad, but then again the price depends on what the renter wants. For example, seeing a movie can run you $8 an hour, but if you go see a horror movie the price will double. Rental boyfriends offer a variety of services ranging from dinner parties and weddings to meeting the parents or just having a simple conversation.

Chinese women especially feel the pressure to rent out boyfriends for holidays, because the majority of them spend the week at home with their families. The pressure of seeing all your relatives and friends from back home is enough to drive anyone to rent a boyfriend. Although this is a fairly new business, the pressure to get married is extremely high in Chinese society. Especially when the media refers to women over the age of 27 as “leftover women,” so I can see how renting a boyfriend to save face can seem like a wonderful idea.

But don’t go thinking you can get too handsy with your new “boyfriend” either, there is a strict “no sex clause” in the rental contract. In addition, if the rental boyfriend makes unwanted advances, the customer can receive a full refund. And in the rare case that love blossoms between the two, they are more than welcome to become boyfriend and girlfriend. Although, the owner of Taobao was quoted saying that he would like a cash reward for providing his "services" as a matchmaker.