East China Farmers Welcome New Gift Custom

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, January 02, 2002

East China Farmers Welcome New Gift Custom

In a village in east China's Jiangxi Province, the 70-odd households have agreed unanimously that only one yuan (about 12 cents) is offered on the occasions like weddings or funerals, counter to the tradition that a blessing always comes with a considerable amount of cash.

All the residents in Fenglin Village in Ji'an County used to fidget, not knowing what or how much to offer when there were weddings and funerals.

Nobody wanted to look mean, but the economic burden was simply too heavy. In the worst case, some villagers had to borrow money to offer a "face-saving" gift.

The old gift custom and value system were abolished by a rule set by the village committee in the 1990s, which banned all expensive gifts.

"The new custom has in fact improved the interpersonal relations among the villagers," said Zhou Shengyun, a farmer, "As expensive gifts do not necessarily bring true friendship."

The villagers, not having to ponder over the gifts, devoted themselves to acquiring new skills and developing better breeds offarm produces.

Today, most of the villagers have become better off, but the "one yuan" gift custom has remained and some neighboring villages have also followed their suite.