January 19, 2012 | Amateur Radio & Scanning
It piqued my interest a few weeks ago when I noticed that I was seeing the number “888″ frequently when researching foreign amateur radios.
Puxing has the PX-888 handheld radio, and TYT Electronics has “888″ in their domain name. They, too, have a radio with “888″ in the model name.
Seeing a common thread here, I decided to look a research the significance of the number 888 in Chinese culture. Wikipedia says the word for “eight” sounds similar to the word which means “prosper” or “wealth.”
That’s why the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing was kicked off on August 8, 2008 — 08/08/08. Chinese telephone numbers containing 888 are also considered very lucky and are sold at high prices.
Are these companies putting their faith in the number 888 and hoping for prosperity as their products gain traction in North America?
Oddly enough, the number 7 in American culture is considered lucky, but in Chinese culture 7 is considered bad luck. In the seventh month on the Chinese calendar, it is said “the gates of hell are said to be open so ghosts and spirits are permitted to visit the living realm.”
Tags: Amateur Radio & Scanning, culture, Puxing, TYT
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