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What do you do when you can’t face your parents because of low grades?
In China, one of the “solutions” is to hire a stand-in mom or dad, reports The Global Times.
On Xianyu, a secondhand digital market, one post read, “Help! Any adult can attend a parent-teacher meeting! You may get chewed out by the teacher because I got a very bad score. If so I’ll pay extra.”
On Chinese e-commerce platforms, parents-for-rent are available for 50 yuan (P380) an hour — better hope that parent-teacher conferences don’t run for too long.
It also doesn’t need to be face-to-face: some request to take phone calls from teachers.
Another market is for those who don’t want to commit to a relationship but have significant others who want to meet their parents.
“Is there anyone in Shanghai who can be rented as parents to have a meal with my girlfriend?” one post said on a Chinese website.
Despite changing attitudes towards marriage — fewer couples are tying the knot while more are getting divorced — there are still some conservative social norms.
Some families still believe meeting the parents is important. Perhaps related to this are postings of girlfriends or boyfriends for rent: families consider single people in their late 20s as “leftovers.” Some individuals have resorted to having a fake lover to bring to Chinese New Year celebrations or other occasions with the family.
There are even fake bridesmaids for rent, but there have been cases of sexual misconduct and physical abuse, according to The Telegraph. Niña V. Guno/JB
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