Beijing: In China, Lunar New Year, that is, the Spring Festival, is celebrated with great enthusiasm. On this occasion, there is a tradition of distributing bumper bonuses and gifts. As the festival approaches, many businesses in China have begun handing out bonuses. Several firms are giving employees cash amounts. The cash bonuses are so large that it becomes difficult to hold them in their hands. After receiving the bonus, employees are seen carrying the money in boxes and bags, and pictures and videos of this are going viral on social media.
This tradition reaches its peak just before the Chinese New Year. During this time, Chinese firms reward employees based on their performance throughout the year. The cash bonus is turned into an interesting game. A crane manufacturing company in Henan province laid out millions of yuan in banknotes on tables 50–70 meters long and told employees they could take as much as they could count within 15 minutes. This tradition in China is quite unusual. If someone fails to count correctly, a penalty is even imposed for miscalculation.
According to reports, one employee counted 97,800 yuan, which is about 14,500 US dollars. The company created a total bonus pool of 100 million yuan, that is, 14 million dollars, benefiting 5,000 employees. Another firm distributed 60 million yuan in cash, where employees were seen picking up money from piles of banknotes. In Jiangxi province, farmers also received record bonuses, where piles worth 21.29 million yuan were made. These large bonuses are part of economic reforms, strong performance, and strategies to retain employees. This is how New Year is celebrated in China.
In Chinese culture, the year-end bonus is important for returning home and celebrating the festival with family. However, not all firms and companies give cash; some provide bank transfers or gifts, but the incidents involving piles of cash attract the most attention. This trend shows that economic recovery in some sectors in China is strong, especially in manufacturing and the tech sector, where employees are happy. Lunar New Year 2026 is bringing big gifts for many families.
