Graphics: Where's Your Hongbao? Online

(Beijing) – The giving of hongbao to relatives and friends is a beloved Spring Festival tradition, and this year the virtual sending and receiving of the cash-filled red envelopes via smartphones and tablets was wildly popular. Tencent Holdings Ltd. came up with the idea last year, and this year it was joined by e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. To give and receive hongbao, users logged onto their WeChat and Alipay applications. If they tapped their screens at the right moment, they could grab envelopes released into chat groups by individuals or companies running promotions. Another way to get money that could be sent to bank accounts was to furiously shake a phone when a promotion started. Virtual hongbao containing various amounts were passed between friends and relatives, and companies jumped on the fad as a promotional tool, especially during the must-watch CCTV show that airs every year on the holiday also known as Chinese New Year.