Hongbao records broken, but the culture confuses
Print Edition
THIS Chinese New Year was a record-breaker for WeChat, with 14.2 billion — yes, BILLION — red envelopes sent on January 27, the Lunar New Year’s Eve. But I’m still utterly confused about hongbao etiquette to the point where this year I simply didn’t open a single one.
At the peak of new year hongbao frenzy this year, 760,000 of the little red beasts were sent in just one second. That’s insane. People in Guangdong Province sent and received the greatest number (348 million and 1,288 million respectively).
In terms of cities, those in Beijing were No. 1 at flicking off and catching red (109 million and 405 million respectively).
A Shenzhen resident broke the record this year for the number of envelopes sent by an individual with a staggering 2,125 flying out of his WeChat bank account. But that doesn’t come close to the amount received by a resident in Binzhou, Shandong Province, who cashed in a mammoth 10,069!
Maybe I should ask those pros for a bit of help with my hongbao wenhua, because my situation is bleak.
I will graduate from one of China’s top universities this July with a master’s degree in Chinese culture and language, but I still find hongbao a deep and confounding phenomenon that has left me literally dumbfounded.
If you sent me hongbao this year, I apologize for ignoring it. I just don’t know what to do!
Maybe I should seriously ask Fudan University to add a class specifically surrounding the do’s and don’ts of sending and receiving red envelopes. I’m speaking honestly when I say it could probably cover a whole semester.
There are so many rules and obligations the moment you open or send a red envelope, with so many variables, that I’ve literally been left with no option but to opt out altogether.
If you receive an envelope, it’s considered rude not to send one back. Not only that, you need to send an equal or greater amount, making it a zero sum game. Unless it’s your boss or another superior, where sending back a greater amount might lead them to lose face.
And you can’t just pick any number, either, since numbers across different Chinese cultures hold special significance. Some are lucky, some are not. You don’t want to send the wrong message!
Just taking a look at this year’s most popular amounts sent will give you some idea: 8.88 yuan is at the top, followed by 6.66, 5.20 (I love you), 88.88 and then 66.66.
Just looking at those numbers gives you an insight into the mentality behind these amounts, because you’ll note that clearly 8 and 6 are auspicious numbers.
But those stats tell a scary story, one that will certainly leave you in the red, forgive the pun. If someone sends you an envelope containing 8.88 yuan, the next logical step in returning the favor is probably to send 88.88 yuan. What’s next? 888.88?!
It’s maybe not nearly that simple, but you can see why I might have opted out this year and why I chose not to enter into that social contract the moment I clicked “open.”
But I still have so many questions, like if someone sends me 8.88 yuan, can I send them back 9.88? If someone sends me 5.20 yuan, do I really need to reply with 14.13 (for a lifetime)?
These are pressing questions, and ones that I need the answers to before diving into the deep and mystifying culture of hongbao with any confidence. Until then, I’ll leave it to you guys!
Editor’s note:
Andy Boreham comes from New Zealand’s capital city, Wellington, and has lived in China, off and on, for the past four years. Now he is living in Shanghai earning a master’s degree in Chinese culture and language at Fudan University. He welcomes your feedback on all of the issues he covers — you can reach him at andy.boreham@shanghaidaily.com.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
