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How WeChat brought a Lunar New Year’s tradition into the 21st century
Paper red packets with cash are getting replaced by digital gifts
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This article originally appeared on ABACUS
Thinking of a decent, useful and thoughtful gift for your loved ones can require a lot of energy. But Chinese people don't have to worry about that during the Lunar New Year: They just give each other cash.
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Red packets (hong bao in Mandarin, lai see in Cantonese, or 🧧in emoji) are a traditional way of expressing good wishes, appreciation and congratulations, and the Lunar New Year is one of the most important occasions for giving and receiving them.
But while a physical red packet remains an essential part of the tradition, it’s been updated for the 21st century: Now instead of hand to hand, a lot of them are being given from phone to phone.
It all started in 2014, when Tencent’s WeChat launched the digital red packet function linked to WeChat Pay in January.
WeChat, the app that does everything
Digital red packets tend to have smaller amounts. But a report from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology says the amount isn’t important.
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