Although China is a very pragmatic society, decisions and activities are often bent toward good luck. Because last weekend was “Dragon Boat Festival,” many people attached calamus and mugwort leaves alongside their doors to dispel evil and encourage health:
While a western Wal-mart will set prices just below the next whole dollar, most of the prices in China end with the lucky number 8,
and you don’t have to be a genius to figure out which number is used the most often for bank account PIN codes on this ATM pin-pad:
Conversely, the number 4 is unlucky. As a westerner, you can take advantage of this when making some decisions, such as choosing the least-crowded broadcast channel for your WiFi router:
A few days ago, we saw smoke billowing from the window of a newly completed building across the street:
But don’t call the fire department yet – the owners were just exploding fireworks to clear the building of evil spirits. Click here to watch the short video: Indoor Fireworks.
While we don’t follow these practices, we will soon be eating the special Dragon Boat Festival gift given to us by our school – a box of assorted Zongzi:
If you’re unfamiliar with Zongzi, check out this previous blog.
Wow… the prices at Wal-mart are interesting. Is that actually true at most places with labeled prices?
The ATM pin one is pretty neat, too… wonder if you find similar things in the US for 3 and 7 (although I haven’t noticed)
I used to horrify my Chinese friends because I had a phone number with three 4’s in it. Not being good at remembering mobile numbers I could remember the 444 bit!
Yes – when there are posted prices, they often end with 8. It would be unlikely for someone to negotiate from there to a less lucky number, even if it is lower.