过节网上送礼 省时又省力

New Year is a time for giving and receiving gifts. New Year's gifts can be anything new that brings the spirit of well-being and the renewal of love, peace and good relations. What do you usually send as a New Year's gift?

Twenty-seven-year-old Hong Yang says she often sends her friends gorgeously wrapped gift boxes, stuffed bears, big cakes, sedan cars and diamond rings. Just as I begin to wonder if she's a millionaire, she adds that she has even sent a beating heart as a gift.

She is not joking. Anyone who can access the Internet can be this generous in sending gifts to friends anywhere in the world. Nowadays, virtual gifts are getting more and more popular among young people.

Virtual gifts are a picture of an item, instead of the item itself, sent through the Internet. Some virtual gifts can be interactively wrapped and unwrapped via the Web and contain digital items such as MP3s, video files, and images.

Twenty-eight-year-old Lv Yuan says she also prefers to send virtual gifts.

"I think virtual gifts are friendly to the environment. You can send your good wishes to all your friends. And they save you money and time."

Virtual gifts may be intangible, but many people think they can still deliver good wishes. Some website communities charge for this kind of gift, while others are free of charge.

There is an old Chinese saying: "courtesy calls for reciprocity." People who receive gifts are expected to reciprocate with another gift. But spending lots of time and money to prepare gifts for many friends has become a considerable headache and burden for many people.

However, Hong Yang says, thanks to those virtual gifts, people can send their greetings to each of their friends, without spending too much time and money.

"I've received lots of virtual gifts. I like them very much. I think people are more likely to love this kind of gift. Moreover, it'd be very easy to reciprocate by clicking your mouse. It's very convenient, especially when you want to send your wishes to a friend far away."

Yes, gifts don't necessarily have to be rich and glamorous in terms of material things as long as they come from the heart.

For China Drive, I am Zhang Wan.