Chinese Canadian artist Paige Jung selected as first-ever artist collaboration for TELUS Lunar New Year lucky envelopes

Celebrating the Year of the Dragon with traditional motifs

Lunar New Year is a time of celebration with friends and family. For many people in the Asian diaspora, this includes eating auspicious foods and adorning homes with traditional decorations. Motifs like the fai chun, a traditional doorway poster often representing luck and prosperity, and zodiac are synonymous with the new year.

While most people might not admit it, receiving a red pocket filled with cash might be the most beloved tradition for many during Lunar New Year.

To welcome in the Year of the Dragon, Canadian telecommunications company TELUS collaborated with local Vancouver artist Paige Jung for the first time to design their annual Lunar New Year red packets.

Portrait of Chinese Canadian artist Paige Jung (she/her), smiling and sitting in front of a window. She is wearing a black and white striped tank top with long white pants. Her hair is black and long. She has tattoos near the elbows of each arm. Photo by Solomon Hsu. — Chinese Canadian artist Paige Jung. Photo by Solomon Hsu.

Jung is a second-generation Chinese Canadian immigrant. While her art is often drawn in less realistic ways to achieve more stylized and conceptual designs, her commissioned piece for TELUS’ year of the Dragon packets uses brighter colours and fluid shapes to recognize the traditional motifs.

Reinterpreting traditional motifs for a more modern design requires more than skill—it requires cultural understanding and lived experience.

Cold Tea Collective had the chance to interview Jung about her process of creating the TELUS red packet experience and what it means to her to collaborate with TELUS on this national campaign.

Reimagining the traditional red pocket

In her design, Jung incorporates characteristics associated with a dragon: strength, power and confidence. The 2024 Lunar New Year TELUS red packets showcase a dragon soaring through the night sky, searching for the lantern. The Chinese fai chun also symbolizes hope, success and good fortune.

In-progress sketch of TELUS’ Year of the Dragon red packets by artist Paige Jung. Photo submitted.

“I wanted to show a side of the dragon that most people don’t think of: its positivity in difficult times and its determination,” shares Jung. As for colour choices, she says modern colours like jade greed and deep purple symbolize persistence and endurance.

Rather than using a traditional red, the purple background aligns with TELUS, while also representing divinity and immortality in Chinese traditional culture.

Art representation in the diaspora community

Being part of a national initiative with TELUS was an unforgettable experience for Jung, who grew up watching their commercials on TV. Collaborating with TELUS enables Jung to represent her community on a large scale through her art.

“It is important for people to see themselves in art,” says Jung. “Art is a vehicle to amplify a community’s needs and their stories. As an artist, it is my main priority for people to feel seen and represented in my artwork, including myself.”

Artist Paige Jung painting a bright coloured mural. She is dressed in all black with paint splatters on her clothes. Paint cans are on the ground where she stands. — Artist Paige Jung painting a mural. Photo by Rémi Yuan.

As part of their social giving mission, “We Give Where We Live,” Heather Rowe, TELUS’ Director of Multicultural & Newcomers Marketing, shares that “this collaboration not only adds vibrancy to Lunar New Year festivities, but also provides a prominent platform for local artists like Paige to showcase their work on a broader stage.”

Lunar New Year memories in Vancouver

Jung’s unique perspective honours traditions while making room for growth.

Some of her favourite memories of Lunar New Year growing up in Vancouver include being with her family and community at the Chinatown parade, watching people dancing and celebrating.

As for her family traditions, Jung recalls, “Since I was little, I have great memories of gathering with my aunts, uncles and cousins at my grandma’s house. Around the table, we would eat a mix of handmade dishes and traditional sweets and play board games into the night.”

Where to find the 2024 TELUS Lunar New Year lucky envelope

Whether you are handing out lucky envelopes or are on the receiving end of the tradition, Jung’s design reminds us that the Year of the Dragon represents persistence and endurance.

TELUS Lunar New Year 2024 red packet designs. Two envelopes, coloured purple, are placed on a table beside auspicious items in Chinese culture. The envelopes are purple with a green dragon and other traditional motifs. — TELUS’ Year of the Dragon red packet designs by artist Paige Jung. Image courtesy of TELUS.

The limited edition design for 2024 will be available at select TELUS stores across British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec. No purchase is necessary and they’re only available while quantities last.

Customers can also enjoy special Lunar New Year promotions by visiting select TELUS store locations or learning more online at www.telus.com/LNY.

About the artist, Paige Jung

Paige Jung (she/her) is a Chinese-Canadian illustrator, muralist and artist from “Vancouver”, Canada. Paige is known for her proficient use of colour and gestural shapes to create illustrations that tell stories of connection, community power, and what makes us human. She currently works from her studio in Mount Pleasant, and is grateful to be creating, living and gathering on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples. Follow her work on Instagram @paigejung_ and see more of her work on her website, paigejung.com.