The mascot's phone number sells for $ 300,000 in China
The "Good Luck" phone number was sold in China for 2.25 million yuan (300 thousand dollars), following an auction in which thousands of Chinese participated in the past two days.
The number ends with the number eight repeated five times, a number that the Chinese view as a good omen, because the word "eight" in the Mandarin language also means "prosperity."
More than 5,000 people participated in the auction, which was held on Saturday and Sunday.
And Chinese companies wishing to impress consumers or wealthy individuals in the country often seek to purchase phone numbers described as "lucky winners."
The number eight gets the most attention, as it traditionally symbolizes good fortune and success. And when Beijing hosted the Olympic Games more than a decade ago, the opening ceremony officially kicked off at eight and eight on the eighth of the eighth month (August) 2008.
As for the least required numbers for the Chinese, it is the number four, whose name in Mandarin means "death."
The record for the most expensive telephone numbers during an auction for a line that ends in the number seven is repeated eight times. The term number seven symbolizes "elevation" and "the essence of life." The number was sold at 3.91 million yuan (563,000 dollars).