According to the National Statistic Bureau, by 2020, there will be 30 million more men of marriageable age than women. That means roughly one-fifth of available men could find themselves single. And the effects of this gender imbalance are already beginning to appear.

Finding a girlfriend in China is getting even harder. 26-year-old Huang Yuti has never had a girlfriend. And so to pacify his worried parents during Spring Festival holiday, he's resorted to trying to rent one.

"I'm offering a thousand yuan for a girl to come home with me and meet my parents for three days to make my parents happy. And of course I'm hoping that we'll get along well with each other and maybe develop a real relationship." Huang said.

He posted an ad on his car. And while the move has attracted a lot attention, it hasn't always been from the people he was hoping for.

"I have received nearly thirty calls from men. Most of them are at my age and share the same thought with me." Huang said.

The scarcity of potential wives is partly a result of a traditional preference in China for male offsprings, who are believed to be the only ones who can carry on the family line. This view is especially prevalent among older generations and in the country's rural areas.

"I want to have a son, because I am the only child in my family and my parents also want to have a grandson." Shijiazhuang couple said.

The government has taken several measures to protect and promote the rights of women, such as forbidding hospitals to reveal the gender of unborn babies and increasing awareness against gender discrimination.

If the gender imbalance continues to grow, it could pose problems in the future not just for men like Huang Yuti, but also for Chinese society as whole. Measures to correct the gap are already being considered. But like a relationship, the most important thing may be time.