Xinhua in two minds over virtual red packet craze
Online lucky money packets are the craze this Lunar New Year, but not everyone is impressed at thestate-run news service
Whether digital red packets will become a new "tradition" to celebrate the Lunar New Year has become a talking point among mainland state media.
The digital version of red packets effectively combines online interactive games with the tradition of older generations giving red packets to their offspring and friends.
They were first launched by online shopping and internet companies last year. But this year, they have become a nationwide phenomenon.
Digital red packets come in several varieties - for example, some are offered by companies as a publicity stunt. But one of the most popular ways to send them to friends is via the online messaging service WeChat.
Users can deposit money with WeChat Wallet, an online payment platform, to be distributed in virtual red packets among a group of online friends. A graphic suddenly appears in the middle of a conversation stream and only those who are quick enough to click can "grab" it to get the money.
Internet and online shopping giants Tencent and Alibaba this year offered millions of yuan in virtual money or shopping coupons packaged as red packets, or hongbao, for their customers.