Chinese men are using apps to hire fake girlfriends, and the story of a woman who got 700 offers illustrates the country's growing marriage problem

Jun 26, 2018, 00:02 IST

Zhao Yuqing is a 24-year-old blogger from Beijing, China. Last year, she joined a girlfriend-for-hire service to get the experience of being someone's holiday companion.

Lunar New Year is the busiest time of year for these "instant girlfriends," who can command as much as $1,450 a day during the holiday week. Yuqing, on the other hand, stated in her online ad that she would only charge for transportation.

Lunar New Year is the busiest time of year for these "instant girlfriends," who can command as much as $1,450 a day during the holiday week. Yuqing, on the other hand, stated in her online ad that she would only charge for transportation.

She sifted through 700 applications before selecting Wang Quanming, a website operator in his early thirties from a rural town in southern China. "He is being pressured to find a wife and his need to rent a girlfriend is real," Yuqing told Reuters.

She sifted through 700 applications before selecting Wang Quanming, a website operator in his early thirties from a rural town in southern China. "He is being pressured to find a wife and his need to rent a girlfriend is real," Yuqing told Reuters.

Beijing is more than 2,000 kilometers away from Quanming's hometown. After dropping her dogs off at a pet-care center, Yuqing started the long journey to meet her client.

Yuqing said she was nervous to meet her "date" for the first time.

She took a quick nap at the Beijing airport with bags of traditional food and gifts for Quanming's family.

After landing in Quanzhou, the blogger arranged to meet up with Quanming the night before they were due at his parents' house.

They spent the night getting acquainted at his apartment and going over the details of their fake long-term relationship.

Before driving to the village, they wrote up a contract with Yuqing's conditions for the three-day visit: no kissing, no sleeping together, and no alcohol, although she did offer to help with household chores.

Before driving to the village, they wrote up a contract with Yuqing's conditions for the three-day visit: no kissing, no sleeping together, and no alcohol, although she did offer to help with household chores.

The next day, the fake couple finally drove out to Anxi County to meet Quanming's parents.

Inside the house, Quanming's mother gifted Yuqing with locally-produced tea that Anxi County is famous for.

Then it was time for a family meal, where the fake couple could share some of the details they'd rehearsed the night before.

But overall, the family honored Quanming's request to leave the pair alone and not ask too many questions about their relationship.

One of the reasons Yuqing chose Quanming over all the other applicants was because she had never visited a rural area before.

"The special situation in the village magnifies everything," Yuqing told Reuters. "They face a greater urgency to marry, so that makes it much harder to find a truly suitable other half."

At night, the family enjoyed fireworks on display for the New Year celebrations.

After the weekend was over, Quanming eventually came clean to his parents about the deception. They seemed to handle it well. "At the start, I didn't know they were cheating me," his mother said. "I'm over 50. I don't understand what these young people get up to, but I wasn't angry."

After the weekend was over, Quanming eventually came clean to his parents about the deception. They seemed to handle it well. "At the start, I didn't know they were cheating me," his mother said. "I'm over 50. I don't understand what these young people get up to, but I wasn't angry."

Meanwhile, Quanming said not much has changed since the holiday. "My mother's core demand for me to marry early still exists," he said.

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Chinese men are using apps to hire fake girlfriends, and the story of a woman who got 700 offers illustrates the country's growing marriage problem

Zhao Yuqing is a 24-year-old blogger from Beijing, China. Last year, she joined a girlfriend-for-hire service to get the experience of being someone's holiday companion.

Lunar New Year is the busiest time of year for these "instant girlfriends," who can command as much as $1,450 a day during the holiday week. Yuqing, on the other hand, stated in her online ad that she would only charge for transportation.

She sifted through 700 applications before selecting Wang Quanming, a website operator in his early thirties from a rural town in southern China. "He is being pressured to find a wife and his need to rent a girlfriend is real," Yuqing told Reuters.

Beijing is more than 2,000 kilometers away from Quanming's hometown. After dropping her dogs off at a pet-care center, Yuqing started the long journey to meet her client.

Yuqing said she was nervous to meet her "date" for the first time.

She took a quick nap at the Beijing airport with bags of traditional food and gifts for Quanming's family.

After landing in Quanzhou, the blogger arranged to meet up with Quanming the night before they were due at his parents' house.

They spent the night getting acquainted at his apartment and going over the details of their fake long-term relationship.

Before driving to the village, they wrote up a contract with Yuqing's conditions for the three-day visit: no kissing, no sleeping together, and no alcohol, although she did offer to help with household chores.

The next day, the fake couple finally drove out to Anxi County to meet Quanming's parents.

Inside the house, Quanming's mother gifted Yuqing with locally-produced tea that Anxi County is famous for.

Then it was time for a family meal, where the fake couple could share some of the details they'd rehearsed the night before.

But overall, the family honored Quanming's request to leave the pair alone and not ask too many questions about their relationship.

One of the reasons Yuqing chose Quanming over all the other applicants was because she had never visited a rural area before.

"The special situation in the village magnifies everything," Yuqing told Reuters. "They face a greater urgency to marry, so that makes it much harder to find a truly suitable other half."

At night, the family enjoyed fireworks on display for the New Year celebrations.

After the weekend was over, Quanming eventually came clean to his parents about the deception. They seemed to handle it well. "At the start, I didn't know they were cheating me," his mother said. "I'm over 50. I don't understand what these young people get up to, but I wasn't angry."

Meanwhile, Quanming said not much has changed since the holiday. "My mother's core demand for me to marry early still exists," he said.