Finding a boyfriend to take home for the holidays can be stressful, particularly around New Year in China when unmarried women face an inquisition about their single status from extended family.

So single Chinese women have found a novel way to stave off marriage pressure - by renting fake boyfriends to put on an act for their parents.

Taobao - China's largest online marketplace - is the place to go to find a temporary boyfriend as men advertise companionship starting from 1,000 yuan (£103) to 10,000 yuan (£103,300) a day.

They even charge extra for romantic activities such as hand holding, going to the cinema together, cuddles, or joint Internet surfing.

Single women in China can now rent fake boyfriends from website Taobao, pictured is an online profile for a young man who offers companionship over the holidays

An advert for Greater China Royal Sovereign boyfriend rental centre on Taobao offers a selection of men including American boyfriend, Canadian boyfriend and domineering boyfriend Jiangsu.

It says: 'New Year back home, no longer afraid of gossip, regardless of your eight aunts.

'Why are you still hesitating? Hurry over to order a fit for your boyfriend now.'

One potential boyfriend had a clear list of his prices, including 800 yuan (£82) for trips to other cities to visit family and 150 yuan (£15) an hour to act as a shopping escort.

He even said he would listen to complaints or abuse for 50 yuan (£5) per 20 minutes.

Office worker Lily Li, 26, who hired a fake partner, revealed that she wanted to take a boyfriend home to curb speculation.

One potential boyfriend, who uses the name Xiaojun (pictured) for his profile, said: 'Parents reminder. So you want to customize the shape of a boyfriend to take home?'

Greater China Royal Sovereign boyfriend rental centre on Taobao offers a selection of fake boyfriends, including Canadian boyfriend (left) and American boyfriend (right)

'I was not looking for some perfect guy to marry. Just someone tall – my parents like tall guys a lot – honest and not too talkative, so he doesn't say something wrong,' she told The Guardian.

'Bringing a 'boyfriend' back home simply means I get less hassle from relatives and my parents will stop worrying about my romantic life.'

The Chinese New Year, which fell on February 19 this year, sees an explosion of listings of men offering their services as pretend boyfriends, according to ForeignAffairs.com.

Once you've picked a 'boyfriend' you'd like to date, you can click on his profile and look at the services he offers.

One potential boyfriend, who uses the name Xiaojun for his profile, said: 'Parents reminder. So you want to customize the shape of a boyfriend to take home?

'Do you want a boyfriend to make the journey with you? I am alive and I look like I do in the photograph.'

Another describes himself as kind, a dog lover and someone who parents tend to like. He said it would cost more if he needs to dress or act in a certain way.

Once you've picked a 'boyfriend' you'd like to date, you can click on his profile and look at the services he offers

You can also look up reviews that a potential 'boyfriend' has received.

Sui Wei, 29, makes a living by renting himself out as a boyfriend to help reassure worried parents that their child is on the path to matrimony.

Once he took a big wad of cash stuffed in a traditional red wedding envelope, from the mother of his fake bride.

'I knew she and the father were expecting us to live happily ever after, but I knew we would be together for only one day,' he told the Financial Times.

Online searches for the term 'rental boyfriend' rose by 884 per cent between 2012 and 2013, according to Taobao.

Hu Xingdou, a social commentator at the Beijing Institute of Technology, suggested that the trend for hiring fake partners had emerged from a clash between old and new ideas.