Haikou shopping mall offers 'boyfriend share'

A shopping mall in Haikou, Hainan province, introduced six "shared boyfriends" to single ladies from Dec 24 to 25, Hainan Special Zone News reported.

The "boyfriends for share", clad in suits, with ages ranging from 19 to 26, stand in six boxes with one side transparent. From 3 to 9 pm, single women can scan QR codes on the boxes, pay 1 yuan, and enjoy a "boyfriend's" company for one hour in the mall. Services provided by the "boyfriends" include bag carrying, choosing clothes and taking pictures — but no bodily contact is allowed.

After the event started, all the men were taken away within five minutes. Organizers had to broadcast a reminder that "all participants should follow the instructions and not scare away the boyfriends".

Shi Guoshan, planning manager at the shopping mall, said all the "shared boyfriends" are managers of the mall. "The selection was based on their looks and height. The boyfriends must be around 1.8 meters," he said.

One of the boyfriends, surnamed Zhuang, said he considered it as a chance to "accompany friends to go shopping". He also took couple's pictures with customers upon request. "It is one of our services. But we try to avoid body contact, as a rule," he said.

Qiu Weiyi contributed to this story.