'Rent-a-boyfriend'

Twenty-somethings in China - young women especially - face a strict societal deadline to find a husband before they turn 30. According to Zhou Xiaopeng, a consultant with Baihe.com, one of China's biggest dating agencies, the pressure for singles to settle down crescendos around Chinese New Year. "Picture a scene where people sit around a table," Ms Zhou says. "Chinese people love to get together for dinner. On New Year's Eve, everybody is sitting in pairs, your brother with your sister-in-law, your sister with your brother-in-law, and so on. If you're the only one left behind, you can imagine the pressure and frustration." Luckily for some, China's most popular online marketplace, Taobao, offers a band-aid solution: the rental of fake boyfriends.