The Chinese consider the number ‘8’ to be lucky. – it is a number , to their minds, linked with wealth and prosperity.
To have a car licence number that includes the number 8 would therefore be a good thing. If the licence plate contained two 8s, that would be even better.
But suppose the licence plate contained not one, not two – but FOUR 8s.
Jeez, can you imagine how much luck (wealth and prosperity) that would bestow on it’s possessor?
Sadly, the license plate 008888 did not bring much luck to a Chinese man, Xu.
Desperate to procure the auspicious number plate, he sent 4 cars and a number of men armed with clubs and knives to the automatic licence plate vending machine in Beijing which was about to issue the plate. So enthusiastically did the men prevent any other would be buyers from approaching the vending machine that they are now serving 1 yr in prison for assault.
Nor did the ‘lucky’ plate bring improved prosperity to Mr Xu – he was fined £8,000 by a Beijing court.
October 5, 2009 at 8:00 am
Damn these slow news days! How sad are we writing about friggin license plates
…. Come on people, do some really bad shit or our job here will be over!!!
http://frigginloon.wordpress.com/2009/10/05/two-license-plates-banned-from-auction/
October 5, 2009 at 8:26 am
some days it hardly seems worth getting out of bed
October 5, 2009 at 8:28 am
At least you have only be trawling for a few hours ….
October 5, 2009 at 9:10 am
They should have fined him an extra £888 – just to rub it in.
October 6, 2009 at 2:22 am
I h8888 when people break the law.