February's been on the quiet side for Beijing news ... unless you are married or planning on getting hitched. If you fall into either group, you may be facing problems: questioning your partner's sexuality, pondering your own views on sex before marriage or searching for ways to appear more innocent than you actually are. If none of that applies to you, you may be interested to find out where there’s a shortage of cab fares and what you’re not allowed to do in banks any more.

Relationships in China are tough. Even if you weren't tossed aside in the new year with the spent fireworks and moldy leftovers, there's still plenty to worry about. An academic recently suggested that as many as 16 million women are married to gay men. The pressure to conform to traditional family values, as well as a strong stigma and prejudice towards homosexuality, are mentioned as a few of the reasons behind all the loveless unions. 

Speaking of societal pressure and age-old definitions of virtue, the classic expectation has been for Chinese women to stay chaste until they do get married. For brides who need to fake their virginity, Taobao is no longer the answer. For health reasons, the online retail website has just placed a ban on the sale of artificial hymens and virginity renewal products. Meanwhile, a woman has set up a website and Weibo account espousing the importance of girls maintaining their purity until after the “I do.” The 37-year-old "chastity goddess" has also released a medical certificate proving her own virginity just in case there was any question of her commitment to what she preaches.

In Beijing’s parallel universe, otherwise known as Hangzhou, the taxis drivers are complaining about the lack of passengers. London Hackney Carriage-style cab drivers there feel that their choice of vehicle makes them invisible. Some even report that they are outright refused by waiting pedestrians. Back here in Beijing, we’d gladly welcome these cabbies and their amply proportioned cars – anybody, really, who will stop whizzing past us with their taunting red "Accept Fares" lights.

The next time you go to the bank, make sure you have business there or you may be kicked out. Due to robberies in other provinces, some Beijing banks will no longer allow people to loiter inside. We’re not sure how they plan to actually enforce this policy, seeing as everyone gets a guaranteed 30-minute wait before their number is called. If anyone would like to put the new policy to the test, let us know how it turns out and to what lengths you need to go to make it clear you’re only there to thaw out from the cold.

Photo: telegraph.co.uk, taobao.com