With the Chinese Spring Festival fast approaching, "rent-a-partner service" has once again become a hot hashtag on Chinese social media.
随着中国春节的临近,“租女友服务”再次成为中国社交媒体的热门话题。
Pressed by families to bring their girlfriends or boyfriends back home, some young men and women prefer to rent a total stranger to appease their parents and avoid relatives’ endless questioning.
一些年轻男女迫于家庭让他们带女友或男友回家的压力,更愿意租一个陌生人来使父母放心,还可以避免亲人们无休止的追问。
According to a recent survey, the problem of "forced marriage" is most serious in central China’s Henan province, and it is very common to rent a girlfriend or boyfriend home in its capital city of Zhengzhou.
最近的一项调查显示,“逼婚”现象在中国中部河南省最为严重,在其省会郑州,租女朋友或男朋友回家过年是很常见的现象。
It’s reported that some local matchmaking agencies charge at least 3,000 yuan (US$456) for a decent partner-for-rent during the Spring Festival period.
据报道,在春节期间,一些当地的中介机构对“租女友服务”收取至少3000元的费用(456美元)。
However, lawyers warn that such deals are not protected by law, and recent years have witnessed many related disputes.
然而,律师们警告说,这些交易并不受法律保护,而近年来发生了许多相关的纠纷。
Here is a sample of comments on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like social media:
这儿是微博(类似于推特的社交媒体)的一些评论:
@hnny321: Good idea to rent a girlfriend! But the service is too expensive! I can’t afford it!
@hnny321:租女友真是个好主意!但是服务太贵了!我负担不起!
@star-light: Anyone want to rent a boyfriend? I’m free, if accommodation is provided.
@star-light: 有人想租男朋友吗?”如果提供住宿的话,我可以免费哦。
@laowu: Girls are at great risk of sexual abuse! Many cases have proven that. This kind of deal should be forbidden.
@laowu: 女孩面临着性虐待的极大危险!许多案例已经证明这种交易应该被禁止。