"Any gift I give him should be something that's useful to him," she said. "Some girls have also done a lot to prepare gifts for their boyfriends, but the presents didn't turn out to be very helpful."

She said she bought a camera for her boyfriend that cost more than 10,000 yuan.

"I knew it was going to be expensive, but he can use it," she said. "So I'm pretty happy and contented. Usually, it's hard for a man to think up ideas for gifts. And it may be better if women decide how festivals should be celebrated. Women tend to be better at working out romantic and inexpensive plans."

Speaking of the coming Spring Festival and Valentine's Day, Cui said she plans to arrange a trip with her boyfriend.

"It will be a present or surprise for him and will let me spend more time with him," she said. "In other words, this is a way to kill two birds with one stone."

Thought that counts

Like Cui, many men are perfectly content to come up with their own gift ideas.

Zhang Chao, a Beijing resident who has been in a relationship for more than two years, regularly tries to surprise his girlfriend and said he thinks it's essential to give gifts to mark holidays.

"On regular holidays, having her with me is more important than giving her luxurious gifts," the 25-year-old said.

"But on certain days that are very meaningful to us, a special gift is a must."

He said he likes watching his girlfriend's face light up when she gets a present, adding that gifts are "sweet burdens" and add flavor to relationships. He said he tries to demonstrate his deep love for his girlfriend by choosing gifts for her that are different from what others typically give.

"Some men said they cannot read their girlfriends' minds and always have trouble coming up with appropriate gifts," he said.