Frances Wood (formerly Head of the Chinese section at the British Library, and author of Hand Grenade Practice in Beijing: My Part in the Cultural Revolution and many other books) recently donated a pack of “Cultural Revolution style red packets” to the British Museum. She purchased them in a Chinese supermarket in central London earlier this year.
There are several hundred money envelopes (hongbao 红包) from China and Hong Kong in the BM collection. By Chinese standards this is a small collection. However, the majority have been donated by one person, Mrs QIU Jinxian, conservator of Chinese paintings at the BM. By donating the envelopes that her family members have received at Chinese New Year over many years, they form a cohesive group of the kind of envelopes that are used in London, and allow us to trace changes in the styles of envelopes over more than a decade. When she first started donating them, many were issued by Chinese banks, restaurants and other organisations, but in the last few years, non-Chinese companies have also started issuing red envelopes.
The “Cultural Revolution style red packets” contained the following 6 envelopes, with designs from well-known Chinese propaganda posters, and a jokey slogan at the top. Many thanks to Stefan Landsberger, for creating the invaluable website Chineseposters.net and for help identifying the two that stumped me. The envelopes are numbered 1-6 on the back, and are presented below in that order.
nos 1-3
nos 4-6
Details below:
[1]
[1] BM 2018,4016.1.a
Inscription: 进步奖 // 百尺竿头 更进一步 // Jin bu jiang // Bai chi gan tou geng jin yi bu // Award for Progress // When you get to the top, go a step further.
[2]
[2] BM 2018,4016.1.b
Inscription: 压岁钱 // 健健康康 岁岁平安压岁钱 // 健健康康 岁岁平安 // Ya sui qian // jian jian kang kang sui sui ping an // New Year Money // Be healthy! Be healthy! Peace every year!
[3]
[3] BM 2018,4016.1.c
Inscription: 家有喜事 // 有情人终成眷属 // Jia you xi shi // you qing ren zhong cheng juan shu // There’s a wedding in the family // lovers become family members
[4]
[4] BM 2018,4016.1.d
Inscription: 奖金 // 不管什么奖发钱就是爽 // Jiangjin // Bu guan shenme jiang fa qian jiushi shuang // Bonus // It doesn’t matter what it’s for, as long as it’s money it’s cool
[5]
[5] BM 2018,4016.1.e
Inscription: 红包 // 人生最激动的时刻莫过拆红包 // Hong bao // Rensheng zui jidong de shike mo guo chai hon bao // Red envelope // Nothing in life is more exciting than ripping open a red envelope
[6]
[6] BM 2018,4016.1.f
Inscription: 年底分红 // 睡觉睡到自然醒数钱数到手抽筋 // Nian di fen hong // Shuijiao shui dao ziran xing, shu qian shu dao shou chou jin // End of year profits // Sleep… until you wake naturally. Count money… until you get cramp in your hands
