Guangdong sets healthy hongbao example

The Spring Festival hongbao, or red envelope, a child receives as a festival gift can contain as much as 10,000 yuan ($1,560) or as little as 100 yuan, although the amount is generally several hundred yuan. Also, the average sum varies from province to province.

A recent survey by Wacai.com shows on average a hongbao in Fujian province contains 3,500 yuan - the highest in the country - while those in Zhejiang province and Beijing contain 3,100 yuan and 2,900 yuan, respectively. The average for Shanghai is 1,600 yuan and that for Tianjin and Jiangsu province is 1,000 yuan. Incidentally, all of these places are in the eastern coastal region, the most developed region in China.

The average amount in a hongbao in other provinces and regions is 300-800 yuan. But remarkably, even though it is one of China's richest provinces, the lowest amount is in Guangdong province - on average a Spring Festival hongbao in Guangdong contains only 50 yuan.