I thought this kind of superstitious nonsense was illegal, but no, apparently not in Haikou, where the people are being allowed to choose car licence plates that do not include the number four. A certain Mr Liang is quoted as saying:
It’s ridiculous. Public prejudice against number four is groundless, and the government should not back such superstitious ideas.
But he then, judging by this report, shoots his anti-superstition ranting in the foot:
Mr. Liang, a musician in Haikou who said he actually wanted a 4, which, as a musical note, sounds exactly the same as the Chinese word for fortune.
Can we please be consistent in our opposition to superstition?
Anyway, Beijing insists that the capital will not be following Hainan’s lead, but:
Starting in July, Beijing allowed car buyers the freedom to choose from a batch of 10 numbers, instead of being given a number. But almost everyone sits still when numbers containing four are displayed on the LED screen. “They simply wait for their favorite numbers to pop up, particularly those with six, eight and nine,” said an officer on condition of anonymity.
Sorry, but that doesn’t sound much better to me. At least Haikou is being honest.
Anyway, it’s all very silly, but hardly surprising considering cellphone numbers (SIM cards, in other words) are sold by similar principles.
