How to spend red packet money wisely?
Dear 6th graders,
What do you like most about Chinese New Year? I bet most of you will answer us unanimously – RED PACKET MONEY! But how much do you know about it?
Do some research, take some time to think and answer the following questions based on your experience.
- What’s the meaning behind red packets during the Chinese New Year? Why do we have this tradition?
- After we take out the money, the red packets are usually thrown away. Do you have some good ways to reuse them?
- Who gets your red packet money? If it’s your parents, what do they do with it? If it’s you, how do you manage it?
- What do you think are the wisest and smartest ways to spend it?
Your Poor G6 English Teachers
HKBUAS G6 2019-20 
Dear Miss Carmen,
Actually what do I like the most in Chinese New Year? Of course it is our whole family celebrating together and getting red packets! But do you know what is the meaning behind Chinese New Year? And why do we have this tradition?
Red envelopes are small red and gold packets containing money given to children, family members, friends and employees as a symbol of good luck. In Chinese culture, the color red is associated with energy, happiness and good luck.
After we take out the money, the red packets are usually thrown away. After we take it out we can reuse it again by putting inside a big box and use it next year to distribute to the childrens. And also we can use it for donation in school as our school does! We also can use red packets to make craft like paper goldfish or some lamp that I have made before and it is so colourful.
Who gets my red packets? My parents gets it and they will put it into my bank account. If I gets my red packets money, I will keep it well and I will not buy anything if it is nessesary for me. Or sometimes I will get a little money if the thing that I want buy is really important to me or else I will not use any of the money. So if you want me to choose I must give my red packets money to my parents for save.
How can we use the red packet money wisest and smartest, as I said before we can donate it to the poor family and also get a little money and buy what we need, and of course save it until future.
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Dear Ms.Carmen
Red packets are small red and gold packets containing money given to children, family members, friends and employees as a symbol of good luck. In Chinese culture, the color red is associated with energy, happiness and good luck.
Usually, after we take out the money, the red packets are thrown away, but my family will keep the red packets. When we need to give someone red packet, we will use those red packets to give them.
My parents usually get my red packet money, they will save half to my bank account, and the half give it to me, my parents think I am a teenager and I can manage my red packet money wisely. For me, I will spend those red packet money to buy some necessary things, like stationary and food, and the rest I will keep it for the school fees of university.
To conclude, I think my way to spend the ped packet money is not the most wisely, so I will learn from my parents and I hope I will have a better money management.
Your student,
Jason Chow
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Dear Miss. Kum,
Red envelopes always contain money in China, and are given, most commonly, to kids from their parents, grandparents, and others as Chinese New Year gifts. Chinese people love the color red, and regard red as the symbol of energy, happiness and good luck. Sending red envelopes is a way to send good wishes and luck. Which they think is as well as money.
But after the money is taken away, I will try to recycle it or reuse it or even use it to make art, like cutting them into pieces and sticking it to be a decoration…. there ‘s many ways to reuse red packets. What will I use for the money? First, I put the money in a plastic bag, then I will put the bag under my pillow. But when the new year is over, I would like to put all my red packet money in the bank and make sure it’s safe, and use it when we need it when we are adults.
When we are adults, we may use it for going on trips, eating in daily life, going shopping, or daily needs… But I will choose to go on vacation with my family or friends because they take care of me all the time and play with me all the time, so it’s time to thank them by using red packets of money to have vacations with them.
Your student,
Charlotte Chan
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Dear Mrs. Poon
The traditional red envelope is also called New Year’s money, which is the money that elders wrapped in red paper for children during the Lunar New Year. According to legend, during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, most of the New Year’s money was given to children with red strings. After the Republic of China, it evolved into wrapping with red paper.
After taking the money, I will give the empty red envelope to my parents, and they will continue to load money, give it to other children, or save it and use it next year. Or you can install some loose pieces of paper and stickers , and you can also use it for handmade.
Some of the New Year’s money I get will be given to my parents, and some will be put into my own money box, which will be used when I grow up. I think the most sensible way to spend is to save, save some of the money you usually get but don’t know how to use, and save less.Take it out when you need it.
Eva
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Dear Mrs. Poon,
I had received many red pockets in these few days from my family members! And I had fingered out how to spend my red pocket wisely.
But first, I will find out the meaning behind red packets during the Chinese New Year. According to my research…The custom of giving red envelopes originates in some of the oldest stories of Chinese New Year. As the legend goes, a demon known as ‘Sui’ terrorized children while they slept on New Year’s Eve, and parents would try to keep their children awake all night to protect them. One New Year, a child was given eight coins to play with to keep him awake, but he couldn’t keep his eyes open and eventually drifted off with the coins on his pillow. Sui appeared, but as he went to touch the child, the coins produced a powerful light that drove the demon away. Today the envelope, symbolic of the coins, is sometimes known as the Yasui qian, or “suppressing Sui money”.
But I know that many people usually threw away the red pocket after we had taken out the money. I think this motion had wasted the meaning behind the red pocket. I would like to suggest them to reuse the red pocket next year. If they are children, who do not have to give out a red pocket then they can give it to their parents. But if they are adults, they can reuse and save the new ones which they might bring before. Moreover, they might also use the red pocket to make some visual art such as origami fish, fan decoration, lantern craft… etc
Also, I know that most of our parents will help us to keep our red pocket money, and save that money to the bank. But most of us would like to keep ourselves, which includes me. So, if I could keep it myself I would like to save it in the bank also because I don’t want to waste it and use it at once. I would like to save until I was old to buy something really important. Unfortunately, I know that most of the children who age like me would decide to spend all their pocket money on something that they wanted at once. I think that this is a stupid way because it is such a waste!
Your student,
Hillary
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During the Chinese New Year, we receive a lot of red packets. Red packets are red and gold packets containing money and our family members and friends give it to us for good luck.This tradition started when there is a legend that the red packets and money or coins will scare away a demon, Sui from killing or wounding our children.
After we take out the money, the red packets are usually thrown away.I have some good ways to reuse them. We can reuse them at the next Chinese New Year. We can put money into the undamaged old packets and give them to our children, family members and friends again.
My parents gets ALL my red packet money! They told me they will save all of it for university tuition fee.
The wisest and smartest way to spend it is the use a quarter of the pocket money for free spending and saving the rest for university tuition fee.
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