The number eight is considered to be a lucky number in Chinese and other Asian cultures. Eight (八; accounting 捌; pinyin bā) is considered a lucky number in Chinese culture because it sounds like the word meaning to generate wealth (發(T) 发(S); Pinyin: fā). Property with the number 8 may be valued greatly by Chinese. For example, a Hong Kong number plate with the number 8 was sold for $640,000. The opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Beijing started at 8 seconds and 8 minutes past 8 pm (local time) on 8 August 2008.

Interestingly, China and several surrounding regions, including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, and Singapore, all share the UTC+08:00 time zone.