We have a TV ad here for the HSBC bank where a room full of frantic Chinese people are bidding for a car number plate containing a single number 8. The spiel goes that the number 8 has great significance in China, where it's seen as a symbol of good luck and power. (The ad is for an account with an 8% interest rate, but that's by the by).What I hadn't twigged until this morning, when I heard it on Today programme, is that the opening of the Olympic Games this year is seen as a VERY auspicious event in China, occurring as it does on the 8th day of the 8th month in the 8th year of the century. To maximise the good fortune, the opening ceremony will commence at exactly 8:08 Beijing time. The fanatical numerologists among you might also be interested to know that the word 'China', when converted to a number using the traditional methods, also has the value 8. Spooky, or what?
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