Online anger as China father demands half of children’s US$36,000 Lunar New Year lucky money during divorce, court denies claim
- Ya sui qian is a traditional Lunar New Year gift in which cash is placed in a red envelope, given to children for good fortune
- Video attracts more than 6 million views, 3,000 comments, many angry at father
A father who demanded his children’s 260,000 yuan (US$36,000) Lunar New Year lucky money be split during divorce so he could keep half, has provoked anger on mainland social media.
A court in southwestern China’s Chongqing city granted the man and his wife, who use the aliases of Cai and Wang, a divorce.
However, the court refused to support Cai’s demand that the money gifted to their two sons be divided up, Jiupai News reported.
Lucky money, called ya sui qian in Mandarin, is a traditional Lunar New Year gift in which cash is placed in a red envelope and given to children by married couples for good fortune. It is customary for parents to look after their children’s lucky money.
Cai and Wang married in 2007 and had a son in 2012, then another son in 2014.
The couple had a serious quarrel at the beginning of 2020, and Wang left the family home to stay with her parents taking the children with her.
