For love and money

The tradition of giving relatives' children envelopes of cash during Spring Festival persists because of the affections it conveys. Wang Kaihao reports.

This will be the last year Anhui province native Huang Qingqian will get envelopes of cash from her relatives during the Spring Festival. The 23-year-old will leave her hometown, the provincial capital Hefei, to work in a bank in Shanghai. Local tradition dictates that those who earn their own money don't receive the red envelopes, called "hongbao", during the Lunar New Year. While the ancient custom was perhaps born at least partly out of economic traditions, it has survived until the present day largely because of the affections it represents. Huang got 25,000 yuan ($3,964) - a handsome sum, indeed - because she studied in Britain and didn't return for Spring Festival in 2011.

So her relatives wanted to make up for the lost time and money, she explains.