They usually discuss the expected amounts on the news. As far as I’m aware, 12,000 for parents is on the low side but that’s how much we always give in our family and what is expected.
12,000 isn’t an amount any average Taiwanese can afford at all.
I think it should be based on percentage. If I get a million for end of year bonus, yea 12,000 is on the low side.
If I got a month, then maybe 2000 to show I care.
But it should be “each according to their ability”.
I guess that’s why crime increases at this time of year.
12,000 is average.
Most Taiwanese get barely half a month, out of say 26,000nt.
Considering all the social obligations CNY brings, this is extortion.
Sure out of the “average wage” of Taiwanese which is badly skewed (it’s around 45,000 and most Taiwanese makes nowhere near this), I’d say 12,000 on average is on the “low” side.
Tell your wife that you should not base bonuses on what the news tell you but according to your ability.
Forgive me for being culturally insensitive here, but what possible benefits does hurling large amounts of cash at in-laws accrue?
If you are the eldest son…,$$$
If you are the parents…Bragging rights.
Everybody else…shit out of luck.
I still don’t get it. I’m obviously missing something here.
I think the point is to thank your parents for raising you. 12,000 a year is a small amount compared to what they would have spent raising you.
As long as your happy it’s not a problem.
Weird rationale. They CHOSE to have you. It’s not something you decided upon. Why should you pay them for that?
Yea, it makes zero sense for you to have to pay your parents back for raising you. Legally this is questionable too as parents have legal and moral obligation to raise their children. I can see if you are abandoning your parents when they become infirm that this would definitely not be good, but some parents in Taiwan just about see their children as their personal ATM.
its just a different way of thinking what is practical and nice to give.
westerners like to give gifts, and think of giving money as bad form. Chinese people think of giving cash as practical and enjoy being able to spend it on what they want, and not what you think they would like.
if you were married to a UK woman, she would probably buy something for her parents at Christmas, maybe some kitchen gadget, garden elf or a sweater. I’m sure they have enough of those… why not give them cash to buy what they want.
it makes sense to give your parents or in laws a gift on the biggest holiday of the year. since cash gifts are ok, why not?
if parents want to get the money they invested in their kids, the kids should pay monthly, not just once a year.
I gave my Chinese and Taiwanese friends 8 RMB each if they had wechat installed. I was going to gift more (around 10k TWD) to members of a Taiwanese family but they cancelled my CNY dinner invite last minute 
so I used it to travel around Taiwan for a few days.
Why? To show off? I would be embarrassed if a guest came to eat at my house and gave that much.
A very wealthy Taiwanese family (well, the husband and wife, who are in their 60s) that I’ve known pretty much since I arrived here always calls me “a member of their family” when introducing me to others, but, other than inviting me to big dinners with tons of guests, has done nothing for me to even pretend to be “my family”. We’re talking they frequently forget where I’m from or if I have any siblings level of “you have no clue who I am”. Yet they always introduce me as “their adopted daughter” or some of them call me “daughter in law”, even though they have no sons for me to be married to. Stupid mistake that my lonely and friendless self made back when I was lonely and friendless because I had just arrived. Now I find many excuses to avoid them because I know plenty of humans who actually recognize me as something other than a prop that elevates their social status. Imagine that. Live in a place long enough and you can make real friends!
My word, you have more patience than I do 
Thanks for answering.
Emotional kidnapping is every bit as important to new year celebrations as red envelopes. People even get to enjoy after the celebrations and on until the next one.
Supporting family out of love and necessity is one thing. Having capable people with massive entitlement issues abusing their children is exactly as @Taiwan_Luthiers said. Extortion. Those folks can go stuff it…
This is also why we have so much crime this time of year as @meishijia says. broken families causing mental illness and social problems.
Out: 10,000
In: 20,000
I didn’t expect to get anything back so I’m looking at it as 20k profit lol.
Fiancé’s grandpa gives every grandchild 60,000 and then her dad and mom 20,000 together and other relatives another 15,000 or so. She gave out about 15-20k I can’t remember.
I also went to 4 really expensive restaurants Thursday to Monday and didn’t have to pay anything.
I think when wealthy people like to give and don’t care about how much they are receiving.
Yeah they only give to their family though.