Hong Kong is re-issuing their $10 HK note in September, having stopped issuing them in 1996 after the introduction of the $10 coin in 1994. As many would know thats the nice looking coin with a hole in the middle.

While Hong Kong's recession may initially be seen as a cause, the government says there is a different reason..

According to the Reuters report -

Chinese people give gifts of money in small red packets - known as "lucky money" in Hong Kong -- during the Lunar New Year. While there are HK$10 coins, most Chinese prefer not to use them as the recipient can quickly tell they are getting a paltry sum in the packet.

A spokesman for the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the de facto central bank, said on Saturday the new bill would begin circulation in September, in addition to the HK$10 coins. "The decision to issue the new $10 note was taken in response to the renewed public demand for a $10 note for day-to-day use and particularly during the Lunar New Year," the government said in a statement issued on Friday.

In a Hong Kong where paypackets have reduced and unemployment is at record highs it's a welcome announcement for those with extended families! Though Lunar New Year is still a long way away, the amount in the "red packets" distributed mainly by the old to the young has a meaning far beyond token gift giving. The recipients often compare amounts received one year to the year before, and it is seen as an informal index of the financial standing of the givers (which corresponds directly to how important they are!)

"Meanness" is a burden that nobody wants to be bear in a society where generosity, wealth and respect are intertwined.