Published 12:26 IST, August 17th 2020
Chinese phone number fetches whopping $300,000 in online auction
In an event that has stunned everybody, a Chinese phone number was sold for $2.25 million Yuan. The ‘lucky’ number which ends in a string of number eight.
- World News
- 2 min read
In an event that has stunned everybody, a phone number was sold for 2.25 million Yuan in China. The ‘lucky’ number which ends in a string of digits is considered auspicious in China was auctioned in the country’s capital over the weekend.
According to reports, the number ends in five times eights. Eight is the most sought after digit in the country as the word in Mandarin sounds similar to the word for "prosperity". Considering the auspiciousness of the number, the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing started officially at eight minutes past eight on the eighth day of August, the eighth month. On the contrary, number four is the least favoured as it sounds similar to death.
Participation from 5000 people
The bid which took place on August 15 and 16, saw participation from over five thousand people. According to international media reports, the special number was amongst asset seized recently and ordered to be auctioned by a court in the Chinese capital Beijing. The winner of the auction has paid 400 Yuan and has ten days to come up with the rest of the amount.
Number ‘eight’ is not only popular in customers but in service providers also. Often the sellers pay premium prices to just to acquire a special combination of digits to impress customers and sell them at a higher price. Previously, a phone number which ended the number seven was auctioned for a record price of 3.91 million Yuan in 2017.
As per Mandarin phonetics, seven sounds like “arise” or “life essence” and is considered a good number for relationships. Another lucky number is two, which according to the Chinese tradition, usually suggests germination and harmony. Therefore, decorations in China are invariably set out in pairs, such as a pair of red candles, a pair of pillows, and couplets hung on two sides of the door.
Updated 12:26 IST, August 17th 2020