Lucky money enters new age

A Chinese boy holds a Red Packet,or Hongbao,a red envelope filled with money that are traditionally given out on special occasions, especially during Spring Festival on Feb 21, 2007 at Xinshao county, Hunan province. [Lv Jianshe / Asianewsphoto]

Mobile app puts cash up for grabs in designated online chat group

The tradition of giving cash during Spring Festival has gone digital this year.

Chinese give money in red envelopes, referred to as hongbao, on occasions such as Lunar New Year and weddings as a sign of luck and good fortune.

But this year, a new spin has been placed on the custom, with the transactions being enacted via mobile devices.

"Red envelope" fever has swept the country since Jan 26 when WeChat, China's popular mobile chat app, rolled out a program allowing users to send cash through electronic payments.

WeChat's feature allows direct money transfers to individuals, or more interestingly, puts cash up for grabs in a designated chat group. The sender can then decide how much to give in total — with a ceiling of 200 yuan ($33) per transaction — and to how many people, but leaves it up to the app to allocate the money randomly.

The program has spawned a craze among Wechat's more than 600 million subscribers.

"Most of my colleagues are addicted to it. The random distribution really adds to the fun and caters to gambling fans," said Zheng Sheng, a company clerk in Shenzhen, Guangdong province.

Bao Ling, who is setting up a public relations company in Shanghai, has sent 18 electronic "red envelopes", with a total of 88 yuan, to her classmates at university. The number "eight" symbolizes wealth in Chinese.

"It's not about the amount you send. It's about these auspicious numbers and the hope that, with such gifts, you will have great fortune in the coming year," Bao said.

Hong Bo, founder of Beijing-based consultancy company IT5G, said people are enjoying the fun of being generous givers and popularizing themselves in chat rooms.

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