BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Lucky number for Chinese Olympics

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Lucky number for Chinese Olympics

Lucky number for Chinese Olympics


The Chinese culture is rich in tradition and superstition
The 2008 Beijing Olympics will begin at 8pm on 8 August, in keeping with one of the nation's lucky numbers.
Eight is considered auspicious in China because its pronunciation in Cantonese sounds the same as the word for to make money.

The Games had originally been planned to commence in late August to avoid Beijing's soaring summer temperatures.

But Beijing's mayor said the sporting festival would begin in the luckiest manner possible - at eight on 8/8/08.

Mayor Wang Qishan conceded it would still be hot in early August, with the temperature often climbing above 40 degrees Celsius.

The earlier start is to avoid clashes with sporting events in the United States, including the tennis US Open and Major League baseball, the mayor said.

No sevens or fours

Chinese culture is steeped in superstition, with numbers playing a major role in birthdays, wedding dates and naming.

Six, eight and nine are considered lucky numbers, while four, seven and even one are considered more unfortunate.

The pronunciation of nine means everlasting, particularly in relationships, while six means things will go smoothly.

Telephone numbers, licence plates and even residential or business addresses which use any of or a combination of those numbers are extremely popular and often cost more.

Conversely, anything involving the numbers four and seven are avoided as much as possible. Four sounds like the Chinese word for death. Seven translates as "gone" which can also mean death, while one can signify loneliness.

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | 130-year-old Chinese fire put out

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | 130-year-old Chinese fire put out

130-year-old Chinese fire put out


A fire that broke out more than 100 years ago at a Chinese coalfield has finally been extinguished, reports say.
In the last four years, firefighters have spent $12m in efforts to put out the flames at Liuhuanggou colliery, near Urumqi in Xinjiang province.

While ablaze, the fire burned up an estimated 1.8m tons of coal every year, according to China's official Xinhua news agency.

Local historians said the fire first broke out in 1874, Itar-Tass reported.

Hou Xuecheng, head of the Xinjiang Coalfield Firefighting Project Office, said the Liuhuanggou fire was the largest among eight major coalfield fire areas in Xinjiang.

The burning coal emitted 100,000 tons of harmful gases - including carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide - and 40,000 tons of ashes every year, Mr Hou told Xinhua.

The continuing blaze is also thought to have caused environmental damage to the region.

Xinjiang accounts for 1.8 trillion tons, or 40.6%, of China's total coal reserves.