Newest Chinese industry: Rent-a-boyfriend

Chinese in their 20s are the first to come of age under the country’s one-child policy, which adds to the familial pressure to produce a descendant.

Su Fei, 25, a student in Shanghai who posted one of the adverts, believes duping her parents is worth any pangs of guilt so she can buy time to develop her career. But she dreads becoming what is known in China as a “leftover girl” – a professionally successful woman who cannot find a husband.

She said: “Lots of young people are so busy with work and study nowadays that their social circle is limited, so it’s getting harder to find a ‘Mr Right’.

“I need someone to comfort my parents over the holiday so that they can have their own life, rather than worrying all day why I can’t find a boyfriend.”