The companionship economy has emerged as more people stay single, forgoing the traditional path of marriage and children, amid an economic slowdown and an increasingly educated population. “The rise of the companionship economy is a marker of China’s development, and demand will only grow as these younger Chinese get older,” he said. But there are concerns that there might be abuse of companionship services in China, where prostitution is illegal. “Companionship services contain serious safety risks, and to protect consumers, Xianyu has banned such listings from its app,” the page said. Yang said that “pei liao” are his escape from reality, and “for that brief moment, it’s really fun”.
