They send them, they get them and they exchange them. As the Chinese New Year approaches, red envelopes are the rage. Here are the changing Chinese attitudes about the eagerly awaited gifts in the following story.

“We need another 10 of them,” said a woman to her husband and daughter, selecting from the piles of small red envelopes, along with several other shoppers.

Her daughter was already holding about a dozen envelopes in her hand.

The saleswoman stood behind the counter on the ground floor of Friendship South Shopping Mall of Shanghai, surrounded by various decorative articles for the Spring Festival, and her pleasure was easy to see in her face.

“One yuan for a big one and 50 fen for a small one,” she said.

She was more than satisfied with the sales volume, as people crowded around to purchase hundreds of them every day.

Outside the shopping mall, venders are selling similar red envelopes in the parking lot.

With the approach of the Spring Festival, hundreds of counters and shops are enjoying a boom in the sale of red envelopes.

Most of the envelopes are about the size of a 100-yuan bill. On them are printed various patterns in gold-dragon and phoenix, firecrackers and a smiling child riding on a giant fish, all symbolizing happiness, prosperity and good luck.

Hongbao, or red envelopes containing money, are given by senior family members, relatives and friends to children, businessmen to their clients, and bosses to employees as gifts for the Spring Festival.

Cash in all denominations comes in the red envelopes, which have become so intrinsic to the holiday that the words are synonymous with money.

Religious aspects aside, the Spring Festival in China has its counterpart in the western Christmas holiday.

Both celebrations share similar features of family gatherings, exchanging presents, decorating homes and extended holidays.

One major difference, however, is in the gifts that are exchanged. While Christmas gifts can be anything from a scarf to a BMW, the gift of choice during Spring Festival is money.

Children are the greatest beneficiaries of this custom. Some receive several thousands yuan at one time.

One 14-year-old girl said she received 2,500 yuan ($301) last Spring Festival, about the average for her classmates.

“I save the money for school tuition, buying stationery, travel, and donations,” she said.

“My mother gave me 3,000 yuan ($361) last spring festival,” said 10-year-old Chen Ruqian. The money was kept in a bank account under the girl’s name, "for my university tuition.”

Of course not all children plan in the same way.

One teenager decided to use his new-found wealth to purchase the services of prostitutes.

Red-envelope-givers have different feelings toward the custom.

“Children of today know the value of money just too well,” said Li Xingyuan, 70 years old. “They want big bills in the envelope. They show contempt for small amounts. They want at least one hundred."

Li said the custom had degraded into a shameful money exchange game, with the amount growing year by year.

“The red envelopes have become so heavy a burden on me that I feel a little reluctant to go home for the holiday,” said Cheng Mingming, a young man from South China’s Hainan Province.

Cheng prepared about 3,000 yuan ($361) for the envelopes for friends and relatives at hometown. With other expenditure included, he has to spend two months’ salary for his home visit.

Cheng has to give a red envelope containing 100 yuan ($12) “to each of my younger cousins and nieces and nephews, and children of other relatives and friends visiting our home in the festival.”

He and his friends with the same trouble wish that the custom would disappear some day.

(Shanghai Star 01/18/2001)