With the Chinese Spring Festival fast approaching, "rent-a-partner service" has once again become a hot hashtag on Chinese social media.

随着中国的春节日益临近，“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 appease¹ their parents and avoid relatives' endless questioning.

受迫于家庭让他们带女友或男友回家的压力，一些年轻男女更愿意租一个陌生人来使父母放心，这样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”现象在中国中部的河南省最为严重。在其省会郑州市，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 decent² 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，而近年来也发生了许多相关的纠纷。