Young Chinese hire 'life stand-ins' to cook and care for elderly parents amid booming trend

From cooking and attending hospital visits to doing the actual quarrelling, paid "life stand-ins" are stepping in to manage these tasks, along with errands and awkward moments that many young Chinese would rather avoid.

This trend, known as the "stand-in economy," is gaining traction among time-strapped consumers who are willing to pay for convenience when daily responsibilities exceed their time, patience, or expertise.

First widely reported by mainland media in 2024, the movement has since blossomed into a vast market for highly personalised errand services.

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On RedNote, posts about paid handicraft and assembly assistance have garnered over 120 million views. For example, some users buy intricate Lego sets but lack the time needed to assemble them, opting instead to hire professional builders.

Customers can arrange either a home visit or mail their Lego sets to the assembler. Fees typically range from 200 yuan ($30) to 1,000 yuan, depending on the complexity and required labour.

The services offered have also begun to take on increasingly unconventional forms.

In September, a man surnamed Kong in Guangzhou in southern China drew considerable attention by promoting his paid "arguing stand-in" service on the street.

He charges 50 yuan for online disputes and 188 yuan for unlimited in-person sessions.

Kong asserts that his method relies on persuasion rather than aggression and refuses requests involving threats, debt collection, or physical altercations.

In another example, a woman named Mihan in Hangzhou, southeastern China's Zhejiang province, started charging neighbours three yuan to take out their rubbish or 99 yuan for a monthly package. Within three days, she secured over 20 clients and later expanded her services to include parcel collection and holiday cat-feeding.

On second-hand marketplaces and errand-running platforms, users can also pay between 10 and 30 yuan for someone to stand in line at popular restaurants.

In Shenzhen, southern China, some young workers living alone take this concept further. One online user reportedly pays 2,500 yuan ($370) a month for daily home-cooked meals.

Other services address emotional needs as well.

A woman from Zhejiang, known by her surname Jin, once accepted a 50-yuan request to visit a hospital patient and brought gifts and greetings on behalf of her client.

Another service provider in Shenzhen charges 300 yuan for two-hour visits to elderly individuals, which include conversation and cooking.

Economists regard this trend as an extension of China's "lazy economy," whereby consumers use money to optimise the value of their time.

Li Na, an associate professor at Jimei University's School of Finance and Economics, stated to the media that such services could enhance efficiency and personal well-being while generating new forms of employment.

However, the largely private, peer-to-peer nature of these transactions raises concerns regarding fraud, privacy violations, and challenges in seeking recourse when services do not meet expectations.

One online observer captured the overarching unease with this thought: "When more and more of life's trivial tasks can be solved with money, are we gaining greater freedom - or quietly relinquishing part of the experience of living?"

Read the article at SCMP.