Angpao2018 CNY Contest! + some sharing 🍊🌸

Hello everyone🤗, Happy Chu Er (2nd day of CNY)!

Here's my entry for @howtostartablog's CNY AngPao contest. Was waiting patiently these few days hoping to collect some nice angpao designs, at last stumbled upon this today. Thanks for organizing this @howtostartablog! :)

Front view

Back view

Ang pao (红包) is a small monetary blessings given to children/unmarried individuals by elder generation/married couples during Chinese New Year. Money will be placed in a paper packet that's usually in red/yellow color. However, nowadays it has modernized to different colors such as pink, orange etc. Usually when angpao is given, the giver will speak blessings to the receipient, such as 快高长大 (may you grow tall and healthy), 学业进步 (may you excel in your studies), 生意兴隆 (may your business grow prosperously) etc.

I guess the first thing I like about this angpao, is the simple minimalist design and the pastel pink color frame. Haha i like pastel colors. :D

At the upper section, it potrays a few red plum bossoms on the branches, we called it 梅花 (mei hua) in mandarin. We will usually see plum bossom in most of the china paintings/angpao, because plum bossom is the national flower of China.

At the bottom section, there's 2 chinese character written in the chinese calligraphy way. Chinese calligraphy is a form of writing where it widely used in the olden days to write letter/document. The pen-sized brush will be immersed into the black ink to produce the writings. Just like how our watercolor painting brush works.

Chinese calligraphy can be categorised into 3 different sizes of writing:

• Big - 大楷 (da kai)
• Medium - 中楷 (zhong kai)
• Small - 小楷 (siao kai)

You will usually see "big" calligraphy written on red couplet for house/building decoration purpose either externally or internally.

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Meanwhile, the "medium" & "small" calligraphy is usually written on smaller compact material such as books, booklet, bookmark etc. For my angpao case, i'll consider it as Medium. I used to practice Chinese calligraphy when i was in primary & secondary school and grew really fond of it. I even got some prizes for having nice calligraphy writing! Oh those were the days.. Not sure whether they still have it in school now. Haha.

Source Image

In case if you're wondering the 2 words written on the angpao, it is 迎春 (ying chun), meaning the welcoming of Spring. As Spring is the 1st season in the season cycle, it symbolizes a brand new year, with a brand new start! :D

So that's my sharing on this red packet. I hope i don't bore you with the long sharing haha, totally didn't plan to write so long, the points just pop out along the way. Anyhow, I hope this is a good information for those who do not know.

It has been a super duper crazy HOT weather this Chinese New Year, not sure if it is so at your place. Nevertheless, as you are enjoying much delicious food this CNY, make sure to also consume plenty of water to avoid dehydration! :)

Once again, Happy CNY everybody! 新年快乐，健健康康，万事如意。🍊