Politicians giving out red envelopes should beware of cultural misunderstandings…
When a politician handed Lesley Ning, our Chinese Project Coordinator, a small red envelope at a Burnaby mall on Chinese New Year, she thought it would, as is the custom in her former country, contain a small amount of good luck money.
“I was kind of disappointed,” Lesley, who helps LAT’s Vancouver clients connect with Chinese customers, said in an interview. “I took it because I thought there was money in it.”
Lesley, who has been in Canada for seven years, said that when she realized there was no money in the envelope she took a photograph of the brochure with her phone before discarding it.
She said the politician who handed her the red envelope meant well but clearly didn’t know enough about Chinese culture.
“I think he knew a little bit of Chinese culture because he used the red envelope,” said Lesley. “A lot of people know if you want to reach a community you have to know their culture.”
Information about red envelopes is readily obtained on the Internet. Red envelopes (Cantonese: 利是, 利市 or 利事, pinyin: lai shi or lai see; Mandarin 紅包 pinyin: hóng bāo) are used to hold “lucky money” or small precious gifts such as gold or jewelry. Their bright red color is considered yang – representing positive, active energy, protective power and luck. In China, it is believed that this red envelope will bring good luck to the person who receives it and to the person who gives it.
Although she understands that the man who handed her the red envelope had good intentions, Lesley says his plan backfired because it demonstrated a lack of knowledge of traditional Chinese customs.
Since receiving the red envelope, Lesley has been canvassing her friends to find out their reaction to what she thinks was a cultural mistake and there is a consensus that stuffing the red envelope with self promoting material is a cultural misunderstanding. For Lesley and her peers, the red envelope carries an emotional component as it brings back childhood memories. It shouldn’t be stuffed with candies or notes.
People should not shy away from interacting with other cultural communities. One effective tool for facilitating multicultural outreach is social media. It allows you to reach your audience in their own language on a platform they are familiar with. However, just as with red envelopes, social media is prone to cultural misunderstandings. The right knowledge can easily prevent such misunderstandings and will instead lead to an engaging relationship with your target audience.
Unlike the politician who handed Lesley a red envelope, a great example of engaging Chinese voters is Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson’s utilization of Sina Weibo.
