The Significance of 8880

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Here in China, the folks are pretty big on numerology. 888 is packed with significance, is considered very lucky, a good omen etcetc. It’s also a strobogrammatic number, which is the best word we’ve read all day. It’s also the Gematriatic value of the Greek spelling of Jesus, which leads us down a dark path into curious things not well suited to this discussion.

This wasn’t missed by the team behind the Rolling Stones tour, who priced their super VIP tickets at 8880RMB apiece (about $1460). Yes, that much. Anyone else laughing?

We know these tickets aren’t aimed at average Joes, but for fun, let’s put the sum into perspective – for an average Joe or Josephine. In 2013 the average wage of an employee in Shanghai was around 7100RMB. So for the average person who happens to be a Rolling Stones super-fan, they’d have to invest around 80% of their month’s income for a single ticket. That’s gotta be a hell of a shin-dig. Once you factor in transport, drinks, food etc. it’s basically one month’s salary.

What else could you do with that money?

With Valentines on the mind, traditionally a guy’s meant to spend at least a month’s income on an engagement ring, to ensure against making himself appear stingy (do you think she’d check?)

Other sundry things we’d rather do with 8880RMB:

  • Donate the money to the Library Project (which is being supported by JUE festival this year) so the organisation can set up a multimedia library for underprivileged students in China. Not sure what multimedia means, probably an installation featuring an integrated ambient intelligence system that removes the need for students to even displace the books from their shelves.

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  • Buy 888 door tickets to this crazy-looking YYT show which we regret missing.

yyt jap gig

  • Install 4 of these in your apartment and have a ridonkulous houseparty.

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  • The price of 4 Yang’s fried dumplings has just gone up to 8RMB (33% hike!). That’s 4440 dumplings for the price of a super-VIP Rolling Stones ticket. 4 dumplings weigh approximately 50grams. 12.5gs per dumpling. With a desktop-sized Trebuchet, about 1200 1 yuan coins-worth of counter-weight, and an average loading time of 15 seconds, you could cause a nuisance for about 18.5 hours firing hot, oily projectiles at colleagues within 20ft.

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Need we say more?

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