Young lovers in China's largest city, Shanghai, are turning to cosmetic surgery as a Valentine's Day present. Three couples even asked one clinic for matching noses or eye features, the official China Daily reported. The clinic's director, Liu Chunlong, said business from 20-somethings had risen 30% since 4 February. China has seen a boom in cosmetic operations in recent years, and is now home to a million plastic surgery clinics, according to Xinhua news.
Liu Yan, 24, and her 28-year-old boyfriend had matching nose jobs a fortnight before Valentine's Day, China Daily said. "I suggested it as a way of celebrating our relationship and bringing us closer together with a special kind of bond," the paper quoted Ms Liu as saying. "My boyfriend loved the idea and paid for the whole thing; we're very happy with the results."
Another clinic in the city, the Shanghai ConBio Plastic and Laser Surgery Hospital, is offering a Valentine's Day package featuring reduced prices. It is reported to be seeing twice its normal volume of patients at the moment. The China Consumers Association has warned that there are an average of 20,000 complaints of disfigurement from plastic surgery each year.