Beijing, March 6 (IANS): Little IOU letters can impress your near and dear ones who are tying the knot this season.

The trend is catching up in China with more than half the youngsters opting to gift an IOU note to their friends or family during weddings, China Daily reported Wednesday citing an online survey.

Forty percent of the respondents said the unique gift was very practical as the money could surely be sent back, the survey added.

Xiao Yu, who hails from Zhejiang province in China, was gifted a red envelope with an IOU note as a wedding gift by a former roommate. An IOU (abbreviated from the phrase "I owe you") is usually a written promise to pay a debt.

"Best wishes for a happy marriage. Your elder sister is now working in Beijing and can't take part in your wedding. Though I am absent, a gift is a must. My darling! Please kindly accept it!" the note said.

"Both my husband and I think it's a good gift," Xiao said.

In the last sentence, the woman wrote the amount of money the IOU is worth -- 800 yuan ($130) -- which she described as "advance payment" that Xiao can use for the note writer's wedding.