Gift giving on  weddings in China is a formal thing. In learning Chinese culture, you’d  better have a general knowledge of it. Keep it in mind that unless the wedding  couple has a wedding registry, it is best not to give gifts or gift  certificates. For Chinese weddings, cash or a check is always the best gift. In  addition to that, some elder relatives might also give gold jewelry. The cash  or check should be in a red envelope or red pocket with the givers' names on  it, and it is always given when signing in at the restaurant. Your Chinese  teachers may have told you 4 is the most unlucky number in China. So in  choosing the amount of money to give, givers scrupulously avoid unlucky  numbers, such as 4 and favor combinations of lucky numbers, such as 8 and 9.  Also, white envelopes are never used to wrap gifts for a wedding or other  joyful event, as the color white is associated with death.

If you are going  to attend your Chinese friends’ wedding, the timing is also to be considered. I’d  like to give you a Chinese  lesson about the timing of attending weddings. There are two times listed  on the invitation: 恭候 (greeting) and 入席 (reception). Typically, they are at least two hours  apart (some may be four hours). The first one is the time the groom and bride,  along with their family, will be ready to receive guests and greet them; the  second one is the time the reception/banquet will start. The gap between those  hours is referred to as entertainment time. Very often, the restaurant will  provide poker and májiàng (麻將) for gambling; the time can also be used  to socialize with other guests and take photos with the bride/groom and their  families. Nowadays, in the U.S., you are less likely to see májiàng being  played before the banquet; it is often replaced by a cocktail party. However,  if the wedding reception takes place in southern China, Hong Kong, Macau, and  even parts of Canada (where there is a large Cantonese population), májiàng  might still be played before the dinner.

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