The Chinese tradition of giving red packets gets a digital update, keeping it alive and well
- Those born in the 1990s were the most enthusiastic users of digital hongbaos, or red packets, according to WeChat data
One of the enduring traditions for Chinese communities globally is for adults to give the young red packets containing money during the Lunar New Year as a blessing of good luck and well wishes.
Broadly speaking, many Chinese consider marriage as the definition of adulthood, and therefore those who have entered into matrimony earn the right to dispense red-paper packets to those who have not.
Bosses also give “lucky money” to subordinates, while in many places, Chinese would give service staff small sums of money, much like how New Yorkers might tip their doormen for Christmas. Hongbaos, the Mandarin pronunciation for red packets, are also given on occasions such as weddings, births and birthdays.
This tradition is undergoing a major digital update in China, where instantaneous money transfers can be made with the tap of a smartphone.
Data released this week by WeChat, the most popular social app in China with more than 1 billion users, showed that those born in the 1990s are the biggest givers and receivers of virtual red envelopes, followed by those born in the 1980s and 1970s.