Lucky Phone Number Auctioned for 2.33 Million Yuan

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, August 19, 2003

Lucky Phone Number Auctioned for 2.33 Million Yuan

A special phone number, "88888888",was auctioned Monday in this capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, for 2.33 million yuan (about 280,723 US dollars).

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A special phone number, "88888888",was auctioned Monday in this capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, for 2.33 million yuan (about 280,723 US dollars).

The digit 8 is a lucky number in China as it has a similar pronunciation to the Chinese character which means "rich."

At the auction, the phone number composed of eight "8"s was eventually bought by a bidder representing Sichuan Airlines Co., Ltd. after several rounds of bidding.

Yu Xiudao, deputy general manager of the company, said that thephone number would be used for the company's 24-hour hotline, which is planned to provide ticket reservation and flight information services.

On the auction were a total of 100 phone numbers which include combinations of special numbers like "8", "6" and "9" were sold for a total of 7.13 million yuan (about 859,000 US dollars).

Zhang Xin, chief of Chengdu's telecommunications office, said all the money would be donated for the city's "reemployment project" which aims to help laid-off workers, and a special fund for fire fighters.

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