In China, a booming and largely unregulated industry sees thousands of heartbroken women paying relationship coaches up to 20,000 yuan for services promising to reunite them with ex-partners. These coaches, who claim high success rates, target emotionally vulnerable individuals with specific strategies.
Thousands of heartbroken women in China are reportedly paying relationship coaches as much as 20,000 yuan (about Rs 2.4 lakh to Rs 3 lakh) in a booming industry that promises to help reunite couples, with some firms claiming success rates of up to 90 percent, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported. On Chinese social media sites, where self-described dating and relationship specialists promote services meant to assist women in reuniting with ex-partners following breakups, the movement has gained momentum. These coaches usually focus on those who are emotionally fragile and finding it difficult to deal with a breakup.
One 28-year-old woman, known as Wan, told the magazine that she paid Rs 50,000 for a month-long tutoring package that included round-the-clock support. During an initial free consultation, the coach allegedly decided that her relationship had ended not because her ex-boyfriend no longer loved her, but because her anxieties put pressure on him.
Wan was told not to contact her ex for 21 days, to enhance her looks, to post carefully selected content on social media, and to learn conversation "hooks" meant to keep him interested. The instructor reportedly informed her that careful devotion to the strategy would result in a 90% success rate, according to the magazine.
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The strategy ultimately failed, with Wan claiming her former partner blocked her on a messaging app. When she challenged the promised success rate, she was allegedly offered a more expensive package costing 9,800 yuan, featuring a “more experienced mentor”.
Social factors related to marriage and relationships seem to be driving the demand for these services. According to the report, hashtags on dating skills and getting back together have received 10.4 billion and 970 million views, respectively, on one Chinese social media site.
Concerns over the mostly uncontrolled industry have been voiced by experts. Many therapy businesses particularly target people who have just undergone breakups and are emotionally vulnerable, a university scholar who specialises in relationships and gender issues told SCMP.
