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.
