China's 'Leftover Women' Are Turning To 'Rent-A-Boyfriend' Services

It's a festive time of year in China, with the Lunar New Year meaning many family celebrations, but what of life for the China's "leftover women", returning home to their family without a man?

When even the daughter of China's richest man apparently can't snag a mate, people are parting to find inventive ways to solve the problem.

Hence the sudden appearance of "rent a boyfriend" services. AFP reported that at least 300 different businesses selling male companionship could be found online earlier this month, each with varying price tags and limits of intimacy.

Jane Lanhee Lee from Reuters filmed a video with one of these "rent a boyfriend" business owners, a young man willing to be your boyfriend over the Lunar New Year for the right price (there's a base rate of $90 a day).

As Lee acknowledges in her video, the "rent a boyfriends" (and the accompanying "leftover women") are actually a strange concept in China, where single men outnumber single women, and many believe that a growing number of angry, lone males may be damaging to the society.

However, the very existence of the "rent a boyfriend" services shows exactly how strong the concept of "leftover women" has become.