On the stone steps leading up Mount Tai, one of China’s best-known peaks, hikers can book and pay for “climbing buddies” to walk with them, carry bags and take photos for a few hundred yuan.The increasingly popular service is part of a broader “companionship economy” emerging in China, which includes paid partners for running, sightseeing and even eating out at hotpot restaurants – a meal traditionally shared with friends.Providers, often students or young gig workers, advertise on social media with promises of “emotional value”, conversation and practical help, turning what was onc…READ FULL ARTICLE
