As aging speeds up, China’s elderly turn to ‘renting children’ for support
A growing “rent-a-child” industry is emerging across China as older adults seek companionship in the absence of nearby family.
The trend gained momentum after a Dalian team of military veterans began offering paid surrogate-son-and-daughter visits in September, charging 500 to 2,500 yuan per session.
These companions keep clients company, accompany them on walks or medical visits, and make planned appearances in care homes to signal that residents have attentive “family.”
Demand rose sharply, prompting the original group to expand to about 1,000 providers within three months, with copycat services now appearing in Henan and other provinces.
Users are often in their fifties and sixties, including widowed or childless seniors and those whose adult children live abroad, many of whom want emotional support rather than medical care.
Some arrangements have grown into long-term relationships: Wu, a client since 2011, now spends holidays with her hired “shared children” and describes the bond as mutually supportive.
Another senior, Chen, posts online for companions who feel like family and hopes such relationships might one day evolve into guardianship agreements that exchange assets for end-of-life care.
Entrepreneurs in cities such as Qingdao and Chengdu are testing similar models, though many note low profits and unclear liability rules as China’s elderly dependency ratio climbs to 22.57 percent.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
