Women's rights advocates in Beijing said moms should take a day off while others did the housework on Mother's Day instead of simply buying presents for them.

"The commercialization of Mother's Day, which was intended for honoring mothers and the influence of mothers in society, is becoming too rampant," said Xiong Jing, a web editor for Women's Voice and a volunteer with Women Network, a Beijing non-governmental organization.

When it comes to Mother's Day or any kind of holiday, shopping malls start marketing and commercializing holiday values. These places are packed with buyers drawn by themed sales.

Gold, cosmetics and flowers are the top three products that sell, Changjiang Times reported.

Han Hongmei, a middle-aged woman with a child at school, said: "I do not need empty praises or gifts to mark my success as a housewife. What I need is for my husband and child to cherish and respect my contribution to the family."

The third survey of Chinese women's social status conducted by the All Women Federation, which has carried out the poll once every 10 years, shows that 72.7 percent of married people agree that wives do more housework than husbands. For families with children aged under 3, mothers undertake 63.2 percent of the family care work.

Lyu Pin, chair of Media Monitor for Women Network, a Beijing-based NGO dedicated to advocating gender equality, said that simply buying things for mothers is not a full expression of gratitude to them.

However, a survey by Horizon Research Consultancy Group in 2012 showed that 37.1 percent of 3,175 interviewees in 12 cities choose to send gifts to their mothers, while 33.3 percent call or text them and only 5.3 percent choose to stay at home to keep them company and help with the housework.

"People should help mothers by doing more housework and let them have a day off," Lyu said.