a social custom in China I am going to talk about a special custom in China. That is people giving money as a present to others on special occasions. For instance, if two people is getting married, their friends and relatives will give them an amount of money as congratulations. Or on some old people's birthdays, they will also receive money from their friends and relatives. well, for return, those friends and relatives will be treated with a rich meal. As for the amount of money they give, it depends on the intimacy and relationship between them and the recipients. I am not surprised at this at people giving over 1000 or even much more to one of their friends on a wedding occasion. But in some cases, this custom has some negative effects. For example, it leads to unnecassary comparison between people. Sometimes it even ruins the friendship between the sender and the recipient, if the money one gives is not enough. This custom has had a long history of, i suppose, hundreds of years. I believe people should pay atttention to the negative effects.