Hiring a spouse-to-be for festival problematic

WITH THE APPROACH of the Chinese Lunar New Year the business of renting a girlfriend or boyfriend has emerged again. In either written or oral contracts, the price of such a deal can be up to 1,000 yuan ($160) per day. Changsha Evening News commented on Tuesday:

It is undeniable that during the Chinese Lunar New Year, single women and men face the pressure of marriage expectations from their family.

As a result, the business of hiring a partner has been thriving for some years despite there being many problems, such as parents who give the hired girlfriends money as Spring Festival gifts, that the women usually refuse to part with; and young men who force their hired partners to be more intimate than they want, despite contracts stipulating there is to be no kissing or touching, except for holding hands.