Parents give cash for romance

Being in a relationship pays in more ways than one. Aside from the obvious benefits of a daily intimate association, parents are more willing to dish out the pocket money if their child is involved with a significant other.

When the new school year began this month, Lin Xingyun, a senior at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications School of Humanities, received 20,000 yuan ($2,958) from her parents.

About 5,000 yuan of that was for her annual tuition fees, and 8,000 was for living expenses, but about 7,000 yuan was effectively to cover the cost of maintaining her relationship.

After falling in love with a schoolmate in her second year at university, her mother began giving her more money, about 30 percent more than the year before.
"After finding a boyfriend, my parents loosened up," Lin said.

Generally, she spends the extra money on her boyfriend when they go for meals, on trips and on gifts for each other. They take turns treating each other.

"The extra money is necessary for our relationship. The support from my parents relieves the money worries and makes life less difficult. Treating my boyfriend is a way to show my respect for him," she said.

Some experts said the parents` financial support is a demonstration of their hopes.

The fact is that most college students have no income when they study at college. By offering money, their parents can give their children a better life, said Xiong Bingqi, an education expert at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Other experts think that these parents are spoiling their children and that their money will only make them over dependent and incapable of making their own decisions and choices.

"In the West, young people earn their own money for relationships. What Chinese parents do doesn`t help their children," said Li Yinhe, a sociologist at the Beijing-based Chinese Academy of Social Sci-ence.

"The happiness of love should be built by lovers themselves, not with the help of their parents," she said.