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Dubai's golden 8

DUBAI - Dubai’s own Chinese hub will be swinging today to the beats of drums that will announce the opening of the world’s biggest sporting event for which Beijing has proudly prepared for the past seven years.

Many shops at the Dragon Mart will remain shut today as Chinese expatriates celebrate the start of Beijing Olympics on a day many consider lucky.

In some other countries the number of expectant mothers opting for caesarean births will increase, and so will weddings - ringing in the significance of 08.08.08.

"In China, 8 is called 'fa' which stands for money or fortune, especially in business. In China everyone wants a car number or business name with 888 in it. It is a sign of wealth,” said Lou WeiJuan, a Chinese national living in Dubai.

Claira Zxiaofeng and Celia Penglu of the Swin Lighting store in Dragon Mart have already hung a notice outside their shop that says they would be closed today. "Eight is a very lucky number. We are going to close the shop and invite friends over to watch the games with us.”

The Dragon Mart management is unhappy about the planned closure. Auspicious or not, the show must go on, according to the mall’s Marketing Manager Mona Rishi.

Rishi said televisions would beam the live broadcast of the opening ceremony, which is expected to be watched by a huge crowd at the Dragon Mart.

According to Priya Khanna, who runs a feng shui business, people of ancient China associated eight with money and the Chinese connotation for 08.08.2008 means money-money-easy money.

“The period that we are going through right now is called the age of 'eighth period', that is in Feng Shui; every cycle of twenty years there is a change in the time period. The period eight began in the year 2004 and will continue till the year 2024, she added.

• UAE