‘Breakup insurance’ on Taylor Swift’s love life goes viral on China’s Taobao

If you are hunting for the unusual or eccentric goods, Taobao, China's largest online shopping site, will be your treasure-trove. Boasting around 760 million products for sale at any one time, it has developed crowds of shopaholics in China, who spent 91.2 billion yuan on the Singles' Day (November 11) shopping spree last year.

如果你喜欢搜罗稀奇古怪的玩意儿，中国最大的购物网站——淘宝绝对是个聚宝盆，因为那里随时都有大约7.6亿件宝贝等你收走。在中国，淘宝催生了一批又一批的"剁手党"。去年，光是双十一的交易额就高达912亿元。

Again, Taobao gives the world a big surprise this time. Chinese internet users and fans of Taylor Swift are taking out insurance with some online sellers promising to pay double should she 'break up' with rumoured flame Tom Hiddleston. Despite the fact that their relationship has not been confirmed, Chinese web users are already classing them as an item and using it as an excuse to take out insurance on their relationship on China's e-commerce giant Taobao, according to Daily Mail.

这一次，淘宝也没让人们失望。英国老牌媒体《每日邮报》爆出，近日一些淘宝商家面向广大网友和泰勒•斯威夫特的粉丝们推出霉霉抖森"分手险"，如果霉霉和绯闻男友汤姆•希德勒斯顿分手，店家承诺将双倍给付保险金。尽管二人恋情还未被证实，中国的网友们已经将其视作下注目标，借这个由头在淘宝上买他们的恋情险。

According to China's state-run media Xinhua News Agency, people started using Taobao to bet on Taylor Swift's relationships this week. Each bet costs 1 yuan.

据新华社报道，本周人们开始在淘宝上就泰勒•斯威夫特的恋情打赌。每个赌注价格1元人民币。

If the pop singer 'breaks up' with the alleged new love interest within a year then the buyer will get double their bet which is directly paid into their bank account.

如果霉霉和这位所谓的新欢在一年内分手，买家下的赌金就可双倍返还，这笔钱将直接打入他们的银行账户。

Some sellers said there had been 543 transactions, and the highest amount someone had spent was 400 yuan.

一些店主称，已经成交了543笔，其中投得最多的买家买了400元。

One buyer said: 'If I bought a million, I would make a lot. These stars break up all the time which gives us the opportunity to earn a lot of money.' He wanted to buy more but the seller refunded him money and advised him on a limit.

一位买主说："如果我买了100万，我就能赚很多钱。这些明星总是不停地分手，让我们有机会大赚一笔。" 他本来想多买一些，但是店主把钱退给他并建议他购买有度。

One of the sellers responded that he had capped purchases to 300 yuan.

其中有位店主已经把购买上限定在300元。

It's not just Taylor Swift's love life, other celebrity events can also be included in the insurance packages. According to site Sixth Tone, Chinese web users can also bet on whether or not Katy Perry will win a Grammy in 2017 and whether Sherlock, which is incredibly popular in China, will air next year as promised.

不光是泰勒•斯威夫特的恋情，保险套餐还包括其他各种名人活动。根据"第六声"网站的消息，中国网友还可以赌水果姐凯蒂•佩里2017年能否赢得格莱美奖，以及在中国很火爆的英剧《神探夏洛克》明年能否如期播放。

Internet users are also able to bet on their own love lives.

网友还可以对自己的感情生活投保。

There is even a policy for single people where if they meet a partner within a month of placing their bet then they will be given 13.14 yuan, which symbolises lifetime in Chinese.

淘宝上甚至还有一种针对单身人士的险种，如果他们在投保一个月内找到对象，那他们就能获得13.14元，寓意一生一世。

Is that all there is? You are completely wrong! The varieties of Taobao items are so multitudinous that challenge your imagination. 

淘宝就只有这些小把戏了吗？那你就错了！这里只有你想不到的，没有它做不到的。

Thanks to this all-powerful shopping hub, the world got to see the planet's most unflattering dress: a knock-off of a slinky red carpet outfit worn by Thor actress Jaime Alexander in 2013.

感谢万能的淘宝，现在全世界都有幸一睹地球上最丑裙子的风采：《雷神》女演员杰米•亚历山大2013年走红毯时穿的紧身裙的仿品。

What the purchaser had expected was a marvelous dress to transform her into the siren, but the result was so disappointing. She shared it in the comment area on the seller's site – and it quickly went viral.

买家原本幻想自己穿上裙子后，能摇身一变成为万人迷。岂料上身效果太美不敢看，于是把买家秀在淘宝上分享了，然后这张图片就红了。

Should one be in need of a boyfriend to elude parents' billowing urges on getting married during festivals when returning home? Taobao has a few available to hire.

逢年过节回家，老被父母催婚，需要租个男朋友来抵挡压力吗？上淘宝！

The fake boyfriend says he has a 'distinct look and a warm personality'. Services start at £54.30 – with prices rising depending on the perceived attractiveness of the man for hire. However, sex is not included in the service package.

图中的假男友说，他相貌英俊，是个暖男。租男友标价54.3英镑起，价格随着长相的英俊程度变化。但是，性服务不包括在内。

Even more questionable are the books on sale, promising to teach avid readers how to have an out-of-body experience in just 30 days. But at just 22p a manual, it doesn't seem too much of a loss if it doesn't work.

让人更加不可思议的是淘宝上卖的一些书，声称能在30天内教人学会灵魂出窍。不过，这么一本只要22便士的书，就算什么都学不会好像也没损失什么。

Then there are the more practical considerations: this wee container, for example. The brightly-coloured, elephant-themed cups are available for both boys and girls at just £2.10 each. And it seems there are a hit.

淘宝上也有一些挺实用的东西，比如这个接尿壶。这种颜色鲜艳，大象形状的尿杯有男款和女款，售价只要2.1英镑。而且，这产品似乎还挺热销。

Meanwhile, these wings – on sale for just £55 – were supposedly inspired by Victoria's Secret models, allowing people to have their own catwalk moment.

而这对翅膀，售价55英镑，估计是受到维密模特的启发，想让普通人也体验一下走T台的感觉吧。

It has to be admitted that the rapid development of e-commerce has been changing people's life in all aspects. Perhaps, one of your innumerable creative ideas will come true when you register this almighty "demon" one day. Let's wait and see!

不得不承认，电商的快速发展正在悄悄改变人们的生活。或许，有一天万恶的淘宝也能帮你实现奇思妙想。我们拭目以待！

The article is translated and editted by Chinlingo. Please indicate the source for any use, reproduction or transfer. 

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