I found renting pets, partners, etc. in Japan astonishing, but it happens in China as well. Well, the renting partner bit, mainly for meeting the parents when they go home for Chinese New Year.
Young Chinese from smaller towns and villages still face withering parental pressure to marry in their early 20s, and some pay good money to hire the right type to bring home and please anxious parents, at least for a few vacation days.
(Source: Irish Times online)