College students in China have all sorts of reasons to skip classes—multiple overnight work shifts, hangovers, or marathon video gaming sessions. But they are still keeping flawless course attendance records, thanks to the growing availability of “substitute students.”
The “substitute student” business is flourishing in multiple Chinese provinces, particularly Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang and Jilin, according to Peng Pai, a new state-funded Chinese news website.
Students looking to play hooky simply post a few details—gender, time and duration of class—on online discussion forums or cellphone messaging apps like Weixin, Tencent QQ, and Baidu.
