
Beijing is seeing a surge of couples registering to tie the knot on the auspicious Olympics opening date of Aug. 8, state media reported Saturday.
The eighth day of the eighth month of 2008 is considered especially propitious because the number eight symbolizes wealth and good fortune in Chinese folklore.
The city's director of marriage registrations has promised to hand out marriage licenses to every one of the more than 9,000 couples who have registered so far to wed on the lucky day, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
More than 1,000 couples lined up for hours on Friday to register for an Aug. 8 wedding, Xinhua said.
Superstitious Chinese often pay a premium to pack as many eights as possible into phone numbers and license plates.
Beijing Olympic organizers hope starting the Olympics' opening ceremony at 8 p.m. on Aug. 8 will help smooth the way for the games, which have been troubled by human rights concerns, organizational hiccups and natural disasters elsewhere in China.