BEIJING, April 28 -- In China, increasing numbers of young people are seeking "friendship marriages" to escape family pressures and societal expectations.

According to the South China Morning Post, this trend involves couples who marry without romantic love or sexual ties, maintaining their relationship based largely on shared values and interests.

In these so-called "friendship marriages", partners live together but often sleep in separate rooms and remain free to date others outside of the relationship.

They may also choose to have children through artificial insemination or adoption, avoiding the conventional marriage norms.

The phenomenon is not unprecedented. In Japan, agencies exist to cater to this trend, matching individuals w...