Would You Take this Dude Home for Spring Festival?
The Western press is having a field day reporting on all the "rent-a-boyfriends" that have popped up on Taobao in the run-up to Spring Festival.
From the BBC:
For as little as $50 (£32) a day, dozens of classified adverts promise to provide a male companion for the holidays, pretending to be a single woman's plus-one. Some postings list a full menu of possibilities - charging $5 an hour to accompany a girl to dinner and $8 for a kiss on the cheek. If the fake boyfriend stays overnight with his client's family for Chinese New Year, he charges $80 a night to sleep in his own bed, and $95 to sleep on the couch. Sex is not even an option on the list.
Marketplace writer Celia Hatton did some searching online and wrote about the results:
I did a quick search on Taobao, China's most popular online shopping website, and when I typed in 'renting a fake boyfriend for Chinese new year' dozens of ads popped up. There was one from a man offering his services for 52 RMB an hour, about $8 an hour, to spend time with a single women's relatives. For 500 RMB, he would spend the night if he gets his own bed and for 600 RMB, he would be willing to sleep on the couch. But lower down in the ad he makes it very clear that sex is not an option.
We took a look for ourselves at the selection for Beijing's single ladies on Taobao and found a randy assortment, including:
Boyfriend #1 (a.k.a. "The Man in the Mirror")
Going Rate: RMB 488.88 a day (negotiable)
Vital Stats: Not specified.
Features: Non-smoker. Can buy groceries, cook, clean and make small talk with your dad.
Package Does Not Include: Any talk of an actual relationship.
Also available for: Short-term services including wake-up call (RMB 50), Conversation (RMB 10 an hour or RMB 100 for up to 8 hours), watching movies (RMB 50 and hour), Dining companionship (RMB 50 an hour).
Boyfriend #2 (a.k.a. "Rising Star")
Going Rate: RMB 10 (?!)
Vital Stats: Born in 1988, 1.78m and 71kg
Features: Not specified
Boyfriend #4 (a.k.a. "Slim Shady")
Going Rates: Shopping - RMB 40 and hour or RMB 300 for the full day; Talking - RMB 10, RMB 100 for up to 8 hours, Dining companion - RMB 50 an hour.
Vital Stats: Not available.
Other Conditions: Sleeping in the same bed is "free," not sleeping in the same bed will run you RMB 500 for a night and sleeping on the sofa costs RMB 600.
Boyfriend #5 ("Picture This" - see large photo at top)
Going Rate: RMB 10
Vital Stats: 1.8m, 70kg
Only available during the day.
Boyfriend #6 (a.k.a. "The Jetsetter")
Going Rate: RMB 500 (after discount)
Vital Stats: 27 years old, 1.8m, 67 kg
Other Information: Actor in several TV series and films. The Taobao shop says it "guarantees the authenticity of the information but will not take responsibility for any disputes that arise."
There are more to choose from but no word on whether these gentlemen are still actually available - so you'd better act fast, lest you end up like this hapless lady down in Guangzhou.
Photos: Taobao.com
