A SHENZHEN woman advertised herself online as a fake girlfriend for 1,200 yuan (US$185) per day during the Spring Festival holiday, according to sina.com.

    The online post showed the 26-year-old woman based in Shenzhen is willing to accompany the renter to cities around China to attend family reunions and gatherings with friends, and even to take part in a fake wedding.

    The renter needs to pay 1,200 yuan per day and a down payment for the service, but the woman added she won’t have sex, kiss or drink alcohol.

    According to the report, there are many websites and QQ groups providing rental girlfriends or boyfriends, while users who register on the websites can pay some money to get other users’ contacts. A more reliable way is making a deal with the help of the website’s customer service agents who verify both sides’ identities and motivations, the report said.

    A spokesperson for zuyou5.com, going by the alias of Ping, said the Spring Festival is the business’ peak time.

    “About 80 percent of deals were made by men who rented a girlfriend to meet their parents at home, with the daily rental price standing above 1,000 yuan and fluctuating based on the users’ requirements,” Ping said.

    Ping said the website verifies both sides’ motivations and identities to ensure the women’s safety, and both sides sign a contract in person after a deal is made.

    Ping said over 20 pairs finalized deals a month before the Chinese New Year last year, mostly because they had to bring a boyfriend or girlfriend home after being urged to get married by families.

    “Now about 100 people consult us about the service every day, but only a few get to go through with the deal because most of them have impure motives,” he said.

    Ping added that most customers were aged about 30, with an average monthly income of about 8,000 yuan.

    “There was a man who rented a woman at a higher price to pose as the bride in his wedding because his fiancée left him a day before the wedding,” Ping said.

    Another website, jrzny.com, lets users message each other after registration. Both sides set service prices based on whether or not they can hug, kiss or engage in other “negotiable services.”

    “People are not objects and can’t be rented, meaning this kind of leased-out relationship is totally a lie and harms parents’ interests,” said Yu Chao, a Shanghai-based lawyer.

    Another lawyer said the government should regulate the industry so it doesn’t become a front for prostitution.

    A comment online said the deception would eventually hurt the parents, and it would be better to spend the money buying gifts.

    (Zhang Yang)