Gift giving is more complicated, and more interesting, than it has been for decades. Beyond the decision about what present best suits the person, event, and season, the way a gift is wrapped has become no less important than the contents. A well-wrapped gift is a fashionable sign of individuality and taste, especially for people still in their twenties and thirties.
The attitude is new, and it is also old. For Chinese, the ability to select and give gifts appropriately has for centuries been a sign of refinement. The selection took into account the social and financial position of both the giver and the recipient, as well as the gift's intended purpose. An extravagant gift, for example, might indicate great respect – and that are quest for assistance may soon follow. On the other hand, a cheap one could be a form of insult or an indication that a formerly close relationship was deteriorating.
Whatever the reason for a gift, be it a birthday, wedding, festival, or bribe, it had to be concealed in some way from the recipient's sight. Chinese propriety called for opening a gift in private, or at least when the giver was not present. This tactful tradition ensured that any potential embarrassment over the contents was avoided.
The manner of a gift's presentation was also important. For example, in the case of weddings, sixtieth birthdays (considered especially important), or presents to officials (with future benefits in mind), gift items were often placed inside beautifully crafted hsieh Lan (謝籃),single or multi-tiered lidded boxes with a connected handle. Usually made of wood, lacquer, or tightly woven bamboo, these special gift boxes became collector's items as people turned to simpler and cheaper forms of wrapping. Dannis Chen (陳景坤)of the Giftware World Monthly magazine says, “Food used to be the most common gift when we were still an agricultural society.” He adds that people usually paid less attention to wrapping, and if they did, it was only to protect the gifts while they were being delivered, rather than make them more beautiful.
Money was also a common gift. On many important occasions, hung-pao (紅包),red envelopes stuffed with money, became an easy way to bypass the complications of selecting just the right gift. And this eliminated the wrapping problem as well. For many gift giving occasions, a box of fruit or a bamboo basket of specially prepared food covered with a square of red paper was fully acceptable. If the gift was a chicken or duck, popular selections in rural Taiwan, a red strip of paper was tied around the legs. And if flowers were given, they were most likely wrapped in newspaper or a page from an old phone book. “People here generally lacked a sense for color and design,” explains Hong Hsiu-luan (洪秀鑾), head of the China Art-Pack Development Center.
But times have changed. Today, half of Taiwan's population is under thirty, and for most of these younger people, the immediate post-war recovery years seem like ancient history. They live in a wealthy society, buy more expensive gifts, and also pay more attention to the aesthetics of wrapping them. Hong and other businessmen are meeting their needs. In 1984, she opened the island's first wrapping boutique in Taipei's upscale Sunrise department store. Before then, department stores provided only simple or rough packaging, and even that service was erratic at best. Hong was a bit ahead of her time. The first boutique failed. The idea had not quite caught on. “The cost was considered high,” Hong says, “even though Sunrise clientele generally had greater purchasing power.”
Continued economic growth in the past few years has changed purchasing patterns. “The gift wrapping business started enjoying a better market about three years ago,” says Dannis Chen. More people are now buying gifts for those special occasions, instead of stuffing money in envelopes. At the same time, they are exerting their individuality by further customizing gifts with special wrapping. Anyone can buy a Pierre Cardin purse or wallet, for example, but a special wrapping says, “It's from me!”
Department stores, gift boutiques, book and stationery stores, and flower shops have hopped on the bandwagon. According to Cheng Chun-shan (鄭春山),assistant PR manager of the Asia world department store in Taipei, around 90 percent of the large local department stores now have wrapping sections. Those without one are considered “behind the times.”
“My Asia world outlet opened in July 1990, and we've had 60 percent growth,” says Liao Yu-yun (廖玉雲), head of the Kitty Wrapping workshop. “We attract an average of thirty customers a day, and have monthly sales of US$4,000-US$6,000. During the busy seasons, there are more than a hundred customers a day.” Liao also has a shop in Taipei's Sunrise department store, and another one in the southern city of Tainan.” Most of my customers are people in their twenties and thirties,” she says. “At first, they have their own gift wrapping ideas. But very often when they come again, they let us do the designs because they have greater confidence in us.”
If the gifts are for close friends or loved ones, young people do not hesitate to stop by a wrapping boutique. “Only when the gifts are in square boxes do I buy the materials and wrap them myself,” says Hwang Chih-yin (黃之寅),a thirty-year-old government employee. “Otherwise I usually go to a wrapping service.” Such shops usually have sample wrapped boxes to choose from. “Price isn't that important as long as it isn't too high,” he says. For example, if the gift cost US$40, “a third to half the price for wrapping is all right.”
Wrapping costs vary widely depending on location and customer profile. In Liao's Sunrise store, for example, it is US$10-$20 per item. In her Asiaworldshop, the average cost is US$10, but only US$4 in Tainan. “Everyone wants to use ribbons,” she says. “But recently, in response to environmental concerns, we've been trying to encourage people to buy handmade paper and rattan paper.” Liao, who teaches classes on gift wrapping, encourages her students to use biodegradable wrapping materials instead of the popularly used foil laminated paper, coated papers, and plastic decorations.
According to Dannis Chen of Giftware World Monthly, “The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) asked us to stop pushing gift wrapping after we ran a special section on it in our August 1991 issue.” The EPA people were concerned that consumers waste too much paper, especially during holiday seasons such as the Lunar New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival.
But there are ways to satisfy everyone. In fact, the use of more environmentally friendly biodegradable materials has further stimulated the gift wrapping market by encouraging the production of more Chinese handmade paper and by rejuvenating such traditional crafts as knot tying. Happily, as society modernizes and becomes wealthier, it is able to place more emphasis on tradition. Not surprisingly, however, it is tradition with a different spin, atone that integrates old practices with new sensibilities. The harmony is new, but it draws on the past.
Although more importance has been attached to gift wrapping, many people lack confidence to do it for themselves. And most do not have the time or inclination to learn how. To the rescue comes the “Book of Boxes.” Not actually a book, it is a creative collection of do-it-yourself small boxes made from recycled paper. Just tear out a page and fold to assemble. The thirteen boxes in each book are different sizes, shapes, and colors, and their designs are influenced by traditional Chinese aesthetics.
“Fit Chinese tradition into our daily lives – this has been our primary approach,” says Andy Ko (柯鴻圖), president of Champion Culture, publisher of the Book of Boxes. “The design motif may be traditional, but not necessarily the shapes and colors of the boxes. For example, none of the boxes is vermilion, green, or sapphire blue, which are considered Chinese colors.” Actually, the creative collection of boxes can be a gift itself. “At first we targeted teenagers and people in their twenties as the primary buyers,” Ko says. “But we found out later that many parents and older people also bought them.”
The Book of Boxes has stiff competition. Foreign gift wrapping manufacturers add hundreds of new wrapping designs to the market each year. According to Dannis Chen, Taiwan’s market has become “a battlefield for local and foreign products,” including papers, boxes, bags, and ribbons. Ribbons are among the few locally-made products that consistently outperforms the imports.
Although Chinese handmade paper is becoming more popular, many customers still prefer imported wrapping products, and higher cost does not seem to be an issue. Most of the handmade paper is therefore destined for export, making it difficult for local shops to stock it. “Sometimes I can only buy it through close friends,” says Liao of the Kitty Wrapping workshop. According to statistics in the Giftware World Monthly, among Taiwan's eight paper goods suppliers, five sell only imports, two sell both local and imported products, and just one limits itself to local goods.
Greater consumer purchasing power does not necessarily bring more sophisticated taste. The market is saturated with gift wrapping that is more appropriate for children's gifts. It is somewhat disconcerting, for example, to receive a bottle of twelve-year-old Scotch or Chanel No.5 wrapped in gaudy ribbons and Hello Kitty or Smurfs paper. Yet shifts in aesthetic preferences are already noticeable. The early popularity of using anything imported is being replaced by a greater sensitivity to appropriateness – and to traditional Chinese tastes.
At first, Japan was the model. “It was mainly because local department stores, consciously or not, were following their Japanese counterparts,” says Dannis Chen. “Also, many local designers learned the craft from teachers influenced by Japanese styles, if not from Japanese directly. Some of them are now working to get rid of the influence, but the results still aren't satisfactory,” he says.
Even forerunners in the wrapping business like Hong Hsiu-luan couldn't ignore foreign influences. “Imitation in the beginning stage is natural, and really shouldn't be criticized,” she says. “The Japanese themselves went through this stage. But it shouldn't be an excuse forever. We need a wrapping art of our own.” Hong points out that there are rich sources of inspiration from Chinese culture. Colors, for instance. “Chinese are very fond of vermilion, and they adore imperial yellow,” she says. Olive green, dark green, yellow-brown, and orange are also “very Chinese,” she adds. Yet black and white, traditionally considered the colors of death, are still taboo for most people. Hong's own wrapping designs frequently use vermilion, gold, and purple. “Purple is my favorite, because it is considered a noble color by Chinese and especially by Buddhists.”
Hong also draws on the rich traditional motifs from Chinese paintings, embroidery, and porcelain. For example, the frescoes in the Tunhuang Caves (in Kansu province): “Although there is so much detail, the colors are harmonious and not consciously sophisticated,” she says. “In addition, the texture of handmade paper is just right for the yellow, brown, coffee, and soft purple commonly used in the paintings.”
Decorative materials speak a cultural language as well. “Wrapping designs must be compatible with the nature of the gifts,” Hong says. For instance, it would be awkward to wrap a clay tea set with shiny paper, no matter how delicately wrapped it is. In this case, she suggests using handmade, long-fiber crepe paper in colors like orange, brick red, or dark green. For further decoration, Chinese knots, garlic bulbs, stalks of rice, and ears of wheat add interest to the gift.
Attention to the environment and recycling can be taken even further by using newspapers as part of gift wrapping. “Old newspapers are a good match with cotton rope and rattan paper,” Hong says. She also advocates are turn to wrapping gifts with cloth, as was done in the past. “Using wrapping cloth in a soft color like beige and decorating it with a spray of garlic shows the ingenuity of the gift sender,” she says. And that's the goal. Expressions of ingenuity, creativity, individuality – these are all possible for those who want to make a gift even more special. Today's gift givers can demonstrate taste by tying traditional sensitivities to current fashions.■