Shanghai sent fewer CNY hongbao than Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing

This past Chinese New Year's, 688 million people used WeChat's hongbao feature to send and receive digital red packets. The numbers, published by WeChat developer Tencent to its WeChat channel, go on to show Beijing, Chengdu and Chongqing's users as opening digital red packets the fastest and in the greatest number. 

You'd think Shanghai, as China's financial capital, would be among those cities. But it's not, and the reasons why are anyone's guess. Maybe most Shanghai residents still prefer the old-fashioned, in-person way. Maybe more went for Alipay's hongbao feature, which hasn't released any numbers. Or, far be it for us to promote stereotypes, but maybe most people in Shanghai can't be bothered to participate, partly because everything's closed.

Whatever the reason, xinnian kuaile to Beijing, Chengdu and Chongqing for capitalising on all that Chinese New Year's luck, and hot damn to WeChat's impressive hongbao usage numbers growing 15 percent from this time last year. Here are some more numbers published by WeChat which you might find interesting:

• The most hongbao received by one person this year was 1,848 hongbao by a woman in Shandong.

• The most hongbao sent by one person this year was 1,203 hongbao in a single day, from a woman in Zhejiang.

• Users born in the 80s were the largest demographic sending and receiving hongbao, making up for 32 percent of all hongbao users.

You'd think something as big as WeChat would hit a growth ceiling, or that there might be some kind of hipster-ish or industrialist resistance to digitising China's age-old red packet tradition. Who can forget the feeling of running their fingers over the rough texture of red packets, with their ornate designs and fine engravings? But then think of all the trees. But then think of all the jobs. Choices, choices.

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