One Million Yuan to Hire a Girlfriend for Chinese New Year · Global Voices
Abby Liu

A Chinese man's online offer to hire a girlfriend and fly her to his hometown for one million yuan (165,200 US dollars) to avoid celebrating the Chinese New Year alone has gone viral.
According to Dahe Daily [zh], the man's message online reads:
本人长期各地忙项目，老妈催结婚心切，所以特诚心租女友回家过年。百万现金酬劳，本人包机接送往返深圳郑州。要求女方：25岁以内，身高168cm以上，体重50kg以内，长相甜美，个人至少本科以上学历，博士或者处女优先并额外增加10%酬劳!出发当天付20万定金，结束后付全款。
I'm too busy with work, mom is pressuring me to get married, so I sincerely plan to hire a girlfriend to take home. I will pay one million yuan and hire a private jet from Shenzhen to Zhenzhou. Requirements: A good-looking girl younger than 25 years old, over 168 centimeters high and weighing no more than 50 kilograms. The girl should have at least a bachelor's degree. Ten percent extra if you are a virgin or have a PhD. 200,000 yuan deposit on the first day, and will pay the rest after the business is over.
The man who wrote a message seeking a girlfriend-for-hire attached a photo of a man sitting in front of piles of money. Photo from Weibo
The message attracted more than 5,000 applicants and over 10,000 comments in one day. Many netizens were not impressed: some thought it was a publicity stunt, while others doubted his real intentions and wondered why such a rich guy had to hire a girlfriend.
Still, a few expressed regret at not being an eligible woman.
Reporters contacted the man, who said that his post is genuine but refused to reveal his personal information.
Although the man's intention is still questionable, hiring a boyfriend or girlfriend to take home for the Chinese New Year is not uncommon in China due to family pressure. On China's most popular online shopping website Taobao, some young people put up ads looking for a boyfriend- or girlfriend-for-hire to bring home, and others offered their services as a temporary boyfriend or girlfriend.
While some young people hire a boyfriend or girlfriend to satisfy their eager parents, others choose to escape. Earlier last week, a Chinese mom bought a entire page of advertising on Chinese Melbourne Daily to beg her son to come home for the New Year after her repeated attempts to force her son into marriage had scared him away.