Before, to get a boyfriend or a girlfriend, one must court and woo the person they like. Writing love letters, bringing food, walks in the park-those are some of the oldest tricks in the book to get a partner in life.
Now that modern technology has become part of our lives, most people opt to visit hook-up websites and registering on dating apps like Tindr or Grindr to meet someone. Just choose from the variety of profiles of different people, send a message to the one you like, give out a few personal information, and voila! You have a date for the night.
For most millennials, it's much easier than the traditional way of dating someone. But also a fraction of them do not approve of this modern way of dating, as they think chivalry is slowly dying with each passing day.
In China, the demand and pressure to meet somebody is on a whole other level. To the Western culture, dating someone is purely a personal choice, but in China, singles are mocked and ridiculed by their own family and relatives. As such, the trend of "renting a partner" for single people has started to spread.
These partner-renting sites are purely for temporary purposes, just to appease a single Chinese millennials parents and relatives during social events and family gatherings, especially during the Chinese New Year. The social pressure of being with someone eligible is very high in China, that's why most millennials are succumbing to this trend.
In the sites, you can often choose your partner based on his/her academic qualifications, economic status, occupation, and hobbies. Rates vary on the type of person you want to rent and the amount of time he/she is required to spend with you. Both parties then sign an agreement or contract to make everything official. Prices usually range from $145 to $500 a day.
This trend may be normal in China, but some millennials are angry because of the reasons for its existence. They usually rant on Weibo, China's social media site, about this current predicament of their generation.
One user posted: "Forced matchmaking and boyfriends-for-rent isn't novel during Spring Festival anymore - last year, I was asked to marry someone two days before Lunar New Year, and I left home immediately. I spent that day crying in the hotel, and I've not come home for a year since. I know my mother misses me. I don't know how I can go home - I really miss family, but I'm really fearful as to what they might do. I hope they understand."
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
