A RENTED LIFE: Li Liwei watches TV in her rented apartment on April 14. Li came to Beijing in 2007 from Linyi in east China's Shandong Province to pursue a performing career (ZHAO PENG)

Many of Deng's friends allegedly have bought expensive things they don't often use, such as projectors, fax machines, and popular digital single lens reflex cameras.

"It is also an environment-friendly lifestyle to share and make full use of resources, just like buying second-hand things," Deng said.

Many people have also posted advertisements online to rent out VIP cards for luxury stores, clubs, restaurants and spas for 5 yuan-10 yuan ($0.77-$1.54) a day. Others even extend the idea of renting to intangibles, such as time and talent.

It's not uncommon to see postings by unemployed folks and students saying "Rent Me."

They offer their time to run errands, pick up people at the airport, play the role of assistants at dinner with clients, feed and walk pets and line up for popular concert tickets. The hourly rate is usually 150 yuan ($23.10) to 300 yuan, with additional costs for transport.

Some even offer to listen to somebody's troubles, tell jokes or play the role of boyfriend or girlfriend in family gatherings.

A promising market

With more young people joining the hire clan, some special rental companies, shops and websites have emerged.

On April 2, Guangdong Oursjia Rental Service Co. opened a rental store in Chaoyang District in Beijing. The store's advertisement says, "You can rent anything you can think of here."

Located to the east of Chaoyang Park, the 10,000-square-meter self-service store packs in a plethora of goods, from 10-million-yuan ($1.54 million) Rolls Royce cars and luxury handbags on the first floor to baby carriages, fitness equipment and furniture on the second and home appliances and digital equipment on the third floor.

Everything on offer is brand new. After customers signed an agreement and pay a deposit, the store will deliver the items he or she ordered for free within three days, according to store staff.

Zhao Xiaoling, who was checking out children's toys with her two-year-old son, said she could see the benefit in renting, as many parents agonize over what toys to buy their children and regret the costs when a child loses interest in a gift.

"For 980 yuan ($151) for six months, I can rent many toys for my boy. The rental fee is cheaper than it would be to buy," she said. "Renting is a good way to give him a variety of choices at a reasonable price."

Oursjia has opened 59 stores nationwide within four years.

Jiang Hongwei, Chairman of Oursjia, said the company's customers consist of individuals and companies and government agencies. He believes consumption ideas are changing among customers and his business will continue to see a huge boost.

"China is undergoing a revolution in consumption idea. There are currently 20 chain rental companies now in China. My prediction is, within three to five years, foreign rental companies will enter the Chinese market," he said.

A survey by national broadcaster CCTV found 80 percent of respondents prefer to rent when the items are for short-term or mid-term use. Sixty percent said they do so to save money and 15 percent to satisfy their curiosity about the item, which might be new to the market or something they have never used.

"Rental business in China is just starting to take off. There's a large potential market for its development," said Zhang Zhigang, President of the China General Chamber of Commerce.

"Oursjia also targets high-income customers, especially those who temporarily work in the city but want higher living standards," said Jiang. "The longer a customer wants to rent an item, the cheaper it is. And if a customer wants to eventually own what he or she has rented, they just need to pay the balance."

Meanwhile, rental websites, such as Chinarents.com, Chinaleasing.org and Zulinbao.com, have also mushroomed. Using the platform, people can rent different things by clicking a mouse at home.

Many non-rental companies also see business potential in renting and post advertisements on rental websites. The idea is that all deals are a kind of rental.

However, Lai Yang, Director of the Business Research Institute of Beijing Vocational College of Finance and Commerce, said it would take time for the business model of renting to be accepted by more people in China.

"This kind of business in China lags far behind what goes on overseas," Lai said, adding local consumers prefer to own rather than rent products.

On the popular websites and online forums, there are thousands of discussions about renting.

Many people are still not sure how much they can save by renting and are concerned whether suppliers are reputable. Lai also recommended consumers pay close attention to the small print in leasing contracts, particularly clauses that deal with accidents and damage during the rental period.