Buying a mobile phone number is a bit more complicated than opening a cell phone account in the US. While phones and numbers are purchased separately here, one number is not considered equal to another. When I inquired about buying a SIM card, the salesperson presented me with a binder full of mobile numbers with different prices attached to them. Some were priced for 450 RMB, others for 550, another for 860 RMB. Hmm.
"What's the difference?" I asked.
She explained that certain numbers are considered luckier, and such are priced according to demand. Those with rows of 8's, 6's and 9's are favored over those with 4's, which in Chinese sounds similar to the word for "death."
My US cell phone had two 9's in a row and one 8. I guess it brought me luck -- I'm of sound mind and body (well, I'll know for sure in a few days when I get the results of my physical from the Beijing Health and Quarantine Bureau). Pushing reason aside for superstition (when in Rome...), I purchased a somewhat lucky number in the 500 range without 4's, but a few 6's and an 8 and 9. May good fortune rain down upon me! Or at least get my new Nokia phone to work properly.
February 15, 2009
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That is awesome. I want to go just to pick out a lucky phone number:) may you have great fortune and health in China.
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