What's so Great About the Number Eight?

The start date for the Beijing Olympic Games is no accident.

At 8:08:08 p.m. on August 8, 2008, the world will watch as China opens the 29th Olympiad.

Eight has long been a lucky number in Chinese culture because its pronunciation in many Chinese dialects is similar to the word which means "wealth" and "prosperity."

Two eights next to each other also resemble the Chinese character for double happiness – a common symbol for weddings as it shows two people uniting as one.

In 2003, Sichuan Airlines won the rights to the telephone number: 8888-8888 for $280,000 in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu. Airline spokesperson Xing Bing told the BBC that they bought the number because it would make customers happy, plus it was easy to remember.