Beijing Olympics 2008

People who provide police with evidence of a “major security threat” to the Beijing Olympics could receive a reward of up to 500,000 yuan ($73,000), Beijing media reported on Friday.

The tip-off must include accurate and detailed information about a planned terrorist attack, possible sabotage by an illegal organization, such as the Falun Gong, murder of Olympic-related personnel or foreigners, or some other major crimes, a notice jointly issued by the city’s police bureau and public security comprehensive management committee said.
The notice said the rewards would range upwards from 10,000 yuan and be determined by the value of the tip-off. The offer will be in place from July 10 to Oct 31.

The rewards are designed to “mobilize the masses to maintain public security, as well as to eliminate hidden dangers to the Games“, the notice said.

The payout scheme is the city’s latest move to ensure a safe Games. In Beijing, police rewards for major tip-offs are usually below 10,000 yuan, with a maximum of 100,000 yuan for information regarding serious crimes.

The Ministry of Public Security and Interpol have both warned of the “real threat” of terrorism during the Olympics.

On Wednesday, police in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, said they cracked five terrorism groups in the first half of this year, and had detained 82 suspected terrorists who had allegedly been plotting to sabotage the Beijing Games.

In April, the public security ministry also reported several failed terrorist plots to disrupt the Games, including poison gas and bomb attacks on hotels and government offices in Beijing and other cities, and kidnapping foreign athletes and spectators.

Sources also said they had received public reports on suspicious explosives and guns in apartments near the Olympic Village, but would not elaborate.

To prevent possible attacks, authorities in the capital have instituted a raft of security measures.

A strong anti-terrorism force is in place, surface-to-air missiles have been deployed around key venues and security checks are being conducted in subways.

Starting next week, security staff will also be deployed at hundreds of checkpoints on roads into the city. All passengers and vehicles with licenses registered outside Beijing will be subject to security checks.

from: chinadaily.com.cn

Gourmets with a special predilection for dog meat will be disappointed if they come to the Chinese capital in the coming two months, according to a Beijing Tourism Bureau official on Friday.
Xiong Yumei, the bureau’s vice director, said if a customer ordered dog meat restaurant staff should “patiently” suggest another entree.
“Conflicts should be avoided,” she stressed.
Earlier, the Beijing Catering Trade Association (BETA) issued a circular that forbade all 112-designated restaurants to provide dog meat dishes during the August Olympics. It added, as for other establishments, they were strongly advised to suspend serving dog until September.
As for dog meat for medicinal purposes, the circular said the ingredient should be listed clearly. The meat is believed by many Chinese to be an effective element to lower high blood pressure.
Any restaurant found violating the ban would be blacklisted by the association, though the exact punishment was not specified.

from: xinhuanet.com

AC Milan reiterated their refusal to let Kaká take part in the Olympics with an official note on their website.

With a note on their official website, AC Milan wanted to silence the rumours going around in Brazil concerning Kaká’s possible participation to the Beijing Olympics with the Brazilian national team.

“Following the news stories which appeared in Brazil today concerning Kaká’s possible participation to the Beijing Olympics,” it says on the note, “A.C. Milan reiterate the position already expressed earlier, not allowing the player to join the Brazilian Olympic team.”

Kaká’s Milan team mate Pato probably will be a part of the Brazilian squad, and there were even rumours that Andrea Pirlo and Filippo Inzaghi would join the Italian squad in Beijing.

from: goal.com

As U.S. congressional leaders disbanded for the July Fourth holiday last week, the White House quietly released travel schedules confirming that President Bush will attend the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games.
The careful timing will not mute the impact of the decision. As a rising tide of world leaders boycotts the ceremony, Mr. Bush will lend his imprimatur to a regime that continues to jail dissidents and persecute religious groups, back a criminal junta in Burma and bankroll what Mr. Bush himself has described as genocide in Darfur.
Politicians and human-rights advocates have sharply criticized the decision, with some drawing comparisons to leaders who attended the 1936 Berlin Olympics, which served as a propaganda machine for Hitler’s regime. “If this were 1936,” asked Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R., Calif.), “would President Bush be anxious to sit next to Adolf?”
The White House has insisted that Mr. Bush views the Olympics as an apolitical sporting event. But he has chosen to participate in the one portion of the Games aimed at showcasing the Beijing regime’s political and economic primacy.
A contingent of world leaders is boycotting the ceremony, including British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and European Parliament President Hans-Gert Poettering. In the U.S., Barack Obama and John McCain have taken strong positions. Sen. McCain has indicated he would not have attended without significant reform on China’s part, while Sen. Obama directly called Mr. Bush to task for his decision. Scores of lawmakers have proposed boycotts, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
China has historically resisted international pressure. But it has jumped to defend the all-important Beijing Olympics. The regime responded to publicity linking Darfur to the Games last year with startling immediacy, hastily placing defensive articles in U.S. newspapers and lifting a longstanding veto threat to allow the U.N. to authorize peacekeepers for Darfur. With the Olympics an unprecedented point of leverage, an opening ceremony boycott may have been one of the few gestures capable of moving Beijing.
Mr. Bush could have declined to attend at little political expense. A boycott limited to the opening ceremony would avoid targeting the athletes competing in the Games. It would send a powerful symbolic message — a clear refusal to endorse mass murder, genocide and religious persecution — without substantively affecting economic or political ties.
Instead, Mr. Bush will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with China’s President Hu Jintao at a time when his regime’s abuses continue unabated.
Mr. Bush has passed up a critical opportunity, but he still has the power to demonstrate moral leadership. How he chooses to frame his decision will have real impact. He should use his attendance as a platform to press China to live up to its reform promises, and join human-rights groups in expressing hope that Beijing will release political prisoners before the opening ceremony. He should reiterate the pleas of other world leaders that China use its unparalleled influence with Sudan to halt the slaughter in Darfur.
Mr. Bush claimed that declining the invitation would be “an affront to the Chinese people.” In fact, not attending would have been a far stronger show of solidarity with individuals across China who have been brutalized by the Beijing regime. Baiqiao Tang, who was imprisoned for participating in the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, was one of several Chinese dissidents urging leaders not to whitewash Beijing’s image. “I feel so sad,” he said last week at City Hall in Manhattan, “that most of the political leaders are going to go to the opening ceremony of the Games with Chinese Communist Party leaders.”
The U.S. has lost an opportunity to stand up for the people of Darfur and Burma, and for countless Chinese citizens like Mr. Tang. But the Bush administration still has a chance to serve as a moral voice on their behalf, and to make good on its professed commitment to defending democracy and freedom across the world.

from: online.wsj.com

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will attend the closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games next month, the State Department said on Thursday.
According to department spokesman Sean McCormack, Rice, who just visited China late last month, is also likely to attend some sport games in August.
He did not release other details about Rice’s travel.
Rice’s trip was announced after the White House confirmed earlier this month that President George W. Bush would attend the Beijing Olympics Games’ opening ceremony.

from: xinhuanet.com

Chinese President Hu Jintao on Wednesday thanked US President George W. Bush, who has announced he will attend the Beijing Olympics opening ceremonies, for not “politicising” the Games.

Hu said through an interpreter after talks with Bush on the margin of a rich nations summit in Japan that he “highly appreciated that President Bush has on various occasions expressed his opposition to politicising the Olympic Games.”

“I told the president I was looking forward to coming to the Olympics. I reminded him that not only am I coming, but my wife, my mother and dad will be there and we’re looking forward to your hospitality,” Bush said.

“In this context, the president and I have constantly had discussions about human rights and political freedom. He knows my position and as I told our people, Mister President, I don’t need the Olympics to talk candidly with somebody who I’ve got good relations with,” he said.

Bush said Sunday that skipping the August 8 opening gala, as human rights activists had urged him to do, would have been “an affront” to China’s people, making it harder to engage with China’s leaders.

“So I’m looking forward to your hospitality,” he said. “I’m hoping to get tickets for the US-Chinese basketball game. If you can help me get a ticket, I’d appreciate it.”

The US leader said he and Hu had “candid discussions” on issues like Taiwan, Sudan and trade in their talks on the sidelines of the Group of Eight (G8) industrialised nations in northern Japan.

Hu said their “sincere and friendly” talks also covered diplomatic efforts to convince North Korea to abandon its atomic ambitions and Iran to curb its suspect nuclear programme.

“I also briefed President Bush on the Chinese position on the Taiwan issue and informed President Bush about the current situation in the Taiwan straits,” said Hu.

“We hope that the US side will continue to follow the ‘One-China’ policy,” Hu said, referring to Washington’s policy of recognising only the Beijing government of mainland China, which views Taiwan as a renegade province.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy also announced on the margins of the G8 on Wednesday that he would attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games despite an earlier threat to boycott over a crackdown in Tibet.

from: afp.google.com

They are not accredited with the Beijing Olympic Games’ organizers. But they are journalists all the same and may have a more enjoyable experience than their accredited counterparts at the Main Press Center (MPC).
The 2008 Beijing International Media Center (BIMC) for non-accredited journalists opened yesterday and offers all the routine services such as news conferences and free Internet access.
But those comprise the cake. The thick icing comes in the shape of cultural activities: Peking Opera and acrobatic performances, folk handicraft shows, experiencing the fine art of Chinese embroidery, watching 20 Chinese movies with English subtitles and city tours. The list runs longer.
And the cherry on the cake is that the journalists can enjoy all those free.
As if those are not enough, the non-accredited journalists have a mouth-watering offer: a buffet dinner with 30-50 Chinese and Western dishes for only $1. Not impressed. Just see what their accredited counterparts have to pay for a combination-meal at the MPC: at least $10.
“We aim to make life more convenient for the journalists, and we hope they feel at home here,” said BIMC director Zhai Huisheng.
So far, more than 5,000 journalists, 2,700 of them from abroad, have registered with the BIMC, says Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu, who is working with the BIMC to help reporters. “More are expected to register because the process is still on.”
The BIMC will organize two or three press conferences every day. For burning issues such as environmental protection and the economy, “we will invite professionals to talk face-to-face with the journalists”, Zhai said.
The journalists can apply for information on specific topics or to interview somebody. “We’ll help them arrange the interviews,” Zhai said. Or, they can travel across the country to get information on something they are interested in.
The 60,000-sq-m center has three working areas, two press conference halls and 12 media rooms from the first to the fourth floors in the 19-story building.
The floors above the fourth are guest rooms where the non-accredited journalists can stay, though they have to pay for it.
The bigger press conference hall can seat about 500 people and the other about 200. The three working areas can hold about 570 journalists, and have 200 desktops for those not carrying a laptop. But free wireless Internet service is available only on the first, second and 19th floors of the building.
“I am quite satisfied with the facilities here,” says Juan Rosso, a journalist with Colombia’s Caracol TV International. “The staff and volunteers are very kind and have helped me a lot.”
Chito Romana, Beijing bureau chief of ABC News, says he is more interested in Chinese people’s reaction to the Games and their interaction with foreigners. “Stories about people are the most interesting.”

from: chinadaily.com.cn

TOYAKO - French President Nicolas Sarkozy will attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, representing his own country and the European Union, his office said on Wednesday.
Sarkozy met Chinese President Hu Jintao on the sidelines of a summit of world leaders in nothern Japan on Wednesday.
“The President of the Republic has confimed to the Chinese president his intention of travelling to Beijing on August 8 to take part in the opening ceremony of the 29th Olympic Games,” the French presidency’s office said in a statement.
As well as France, Sarkozy would represent the EU because France holds the rotating presidency of the 27-nation bloc, the office said.

from: chinadaily.com.cn

Sporting skimpy outfits and glistening smiles, the women dancing in a Beijing gym could be cheerleaders for any US sports team. Only the colorful fans and nunchaku gave them away.
One month before the Beijing Olympics, hundreds of Chinese women are flocking to a gym in the suburbs of the capital to learn how to jump, flip and cheer for the tens of thousands of spectators who will attend this summer’s Games.
Cheerleading is a quintessentially American tradition but has become more and more popular in China, thanks in large part to the phenomenal success of US basketball among China’s youth, who are not shocked by scantily clad dancers.
Olympic organizers have embraced the dance teams as a colorful way to keep spectators happy during breaks in play in basketball, beach volleyball and some of the other sports.
Some of the women are professional dancers, others come from dance schools around the country.
Training sessions will run until July 27, but last week, the women working out in Jingdong, an hour’s drive from Beijing, learned from some of the best - the cheerleaders for the Super Bowl runners-up, the New England Patriots.
“They’re a lot like Americans - they use pompoms, they do flips,” 20-year-old Patriot dancer Corie Mae Callaluca said.
She is every bit the stereotypical cheerleader with long blonde hair and blue eyes.
When the Patriot squad launched into one high-energy routine after another during a demonstration, their Chinese students watched with wide-eyed admiration and envy.
For 22-year-old university graduate Pei Qiyu, working out with Callaluca and her teammates was a great pre-Olympic confidence builder.
“We’re learning this new skill. Our sessions with foreign cheerleaders have really been a great way to learn. We like their style, and what we’re learning from them,” Pei said.
Organizers are hoping the lala dui, as they are known in Chinese, will enchant spectators with their signature style, mixing elements from traditional Peking opera with typical US hip-hop routines.
“We use a lot of moves and props from Chinese folk dances, like fans,” Pei, who will entertain the crowd at the Olympic basketball venue, said.
Pei says she hopes the Olympic cheers will help spectators learn more about Chinese dance.

from: chinadaily.com.cn

As Beijing on Tuesday marks the one-month countdown to the start of the Olympics, here are 30 reasons which make the Games special:

1. Volunteers
The 100,000-strong army of Beijing Olympic volunteers is the largest in Olympic history.
Each of the 70,000 Olympic and 30,000 Paralympic volunteers has undergone months of training.
The good Samaritans from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Europe, the US and Australia will join 400,000 city volunteers who will help visitors on Beijing’s streets.
Volunteers were honored with the song, I Am a Star.

2. Double the responsibility
2008 is the first time one organizing team will oversee both the Olympics and Paralympics.
The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) is the first organization to shoulder such a formidable responsibility and BOCOG has promised the two events will be of equal splendor.

3. First digital broadcast
High-definition technology will be used for all TV broadcast operations, with all events and ceremonies enjoying 5.1 surround sound, a first for the Olympics.
Clearer screen pictures and scenery will be a feature of the Beijing Games.

4. Biggest TV audience ever
A record 4 billion people are set to watch the Beijing Games.
Beijing Olympic Broadcasting (BOB), the official broadcaster of the Games, will produce about 5,400 hours of programs during the 17-day gala, 2,000 more than in Athens four years ago.

5. Multimedia for the first time
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has, for the first time, separately sold broadcasting rights for television and new media such as Internet and mobile networks.
CCTV acquired the TV rights for the Beijing Games, while CCTV.com was awarded the domestic Internet and mobile platform license. CCTV.com recently signed an agreement with Sohu.com, the Games’ Internet content services sponsor, to share content.

6. Biggest media contingent ever
About 40,000 journalists will cover the Games, including 21,600 accredited media workers in press, broadcasting and television.
The Beijing International Media Center will also provide some 10,000 non-accredited journalists work areas and accommodation, among other services.

7. Largest number of host cities
To help host a successful Games, six cities in China have joined Beijing as co-hosts. Tianjin, Shanghai, Qinhuangdao in Hebei province and Shenyang in Liaoning province will stage some Olympic soccer matches.
The coastal city of Qingdao in Shandong province will host the sailing regatta, while Hong Kong, a city with a long history of horse racing and matching first-class facilities, will play host to equestrian events.

8. New sports
To modernize the Games, the IOC will introduce two new sports to the Beijing Games: Bicycle motocross (BMX) and the 10km marathon swim.
BMX will offer two gold medals in individual men and women’s competitions.
Marathon swimming will be held in Shunyi Water Park and offer two gold medals in individual men and women’s competitions.
Owing to limited participation worldwide, softball and baseball are expected to make their final Olympic appearance in Beijing after being axed from the London program.

9. Cheerleaders
Some 600 cheerleaders from all over the country will go all out to entertain spectators with Chinese folk dancing, acrobatics, drum shows, lion dancing and martial arts during time-outs. Cheerleaders were selected from national Olympic cheerleading competitions and local clubs.

10. The Beijing Green
The Olympic Forest Park, 680 hectares of plantation and lakes, has given the city a new green lung.
Beijing also built a number of new water purification plants for daily water recycling, replaced dated equipment at its power plants and retrofitted gas stations citywide.
The inclusion of solar power, rain-recycling and energy-saving facilities during venue construction are all helping the Games live up to its “Green Olympics” billing.
Beijing has also planted millions of trees to minimize sandstorms. It is also working with neighboring provinces to cut emissions.

11. Torch relay the longest, highest
The Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay was scheduled to travel the longest distance and include the largest number of people over 130 days.
It reached the highest peak of Mount Qomolangma on May 8. Following the Sichuan earthquake, the torch relay route was curtailed in each city and special mourning sessions were added.
The leg in earthquake-hit Sichuan province has been rescheduled to August, just before the Games begins.

12. English, English
A 170-page Chinese Menu in English Version is seen as exemplary of one success of the English-speaking campaign throughout the city.
Pop stars teaching audiences correct English pronunciation and cab drivers toting language books all are part of Beijing’s multilingual pre-Olympic effort.
“It’s not just about the language, it’s about how open and confident we are,” said Li Yang, founder of Crazy English.

13. Babies named after Olympics
A total of 4,104 Chinese have been named Aoyun (Chinese for “the Olympics”) in homage to the Beijing Olympic Games, according to the figures released by the National Citizen Identity Information Center under the Ministry of Public Security in June.
Nearly 700 of the names were registered in 1992, when Beijing first applied to host the Games and another 553 were registered in 2001, when the city officially won the bid.
About 92 percent of those named Aoyun are male.

14. Weddings during the year and on opening day
Aug 8, 2008, or 08-08-08, is more than just a date: it marks both the opening of the Beijing Olympic Games and is considered a lucky day for marriage with so many eights. It is estimated that 15,000 couples will marry in Beijing on the day and 130,000-140,000 this year.

15. Highest number of cultural festivals
Games organizers have held an annual Olympic cultural festival since 2003, with the sixth beginning two weeks ago and running for the next three months.
China’s ancient culture and civilization are now being showcased to promote the Olympic spirit and publicize a green, hi-tech and people’s Olympics.

16. Massive Olympic education campaign
Educating young people through sports is one of the primary goals of the Olympic Movement.
About 400 million young people in more than 500,000 schools across the country have received Olympic lessons ahead of the Beijing Games. More than 500 model schools have been named and a series of Olympic readers compiled and presented to students.

17. Highest number of doping tests
The anti-doping effort at the Beijing Games will be more extensive than ever, with as many as 4,500 doping tests, 25 percent more than in Athens four years ago and 90 percent more than in Sydney in 2000.
Tests will be carried out from July 27 at 41 test stations at the Olympic Village and all Olympic match venues.

18. Highest spending
The cost of the Beijing Games will dwarf the previous Olympics in Greece with total investment likely to reach $43 billion.
Venues, estimated to have cost about $1.8 billion to build, will be utilized as public sport and entertainment complexes afterwards.
Beijing also spent $16 billion in the past decade reducing smog, while additional infrastructure, such as the world’s largest airport terminal, T3, an advanced railway station and new subway systems required vast expenditure.

19. Largest transport expansion
Beijing’s first subway linking Fuxingmen and Beijing Railway Station was initially built for military use, but today, 1.5 million passengers ride the 2-yuan subway each day.
The existing subway network spans 155 km and has 93 stations. Three new lines will open shortly before the Games, to transport visitors to and from the new airport terminal and between the Bird’s Nest and downtown, and construction of more lines will continue following them.
At least six others are already under construction, with an aim to stretch the network to more than 561 km and 420 stations.

20. Highest number of mascots - five
Multiple Olympic mascots are not uncommon, but for the first time more than three figures will share Summer Olympic mascot duty when the five Fuwa take center stage.
Featuring four of China’s most popular animals - the fish, the panda, the Tibetan antelope and the swallow - and the Olympic flame, the mascots’ names are “Beibei,” “Jingjing,” “Huanhuan,” “Yingying” and “Nini,” which together reads in Chinese as “Beijing welcomes you”.

21. Venues on fengshui
Beijing wished for its Olympic venues to be an expansion of its history and culture, both of which are firmly set on the spine of the city, a 7.7 km axis line running right through the emperor’s seat at the Forbidden City, the middle of Tian’anmen Square, the Drum and Bell towers and Yongdingmen.
The north-south axis was believed to bring eternal stability, prompting designers of the Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube to position them on either side of it.
In doing so, they have integrated modern ideas with the deep-rooted spirit of the Middle Kingdom.

22. Record number of sponsors, revenue
Since launching the Beijing 2008 Olympic Marketing Plan in September 2003, a total of 63 enterprises have become sponsors of the Beijing Games, including 12 worldwide Olympic partners.
BOCOG’s deal with sports equipment supplier adidas covers 18 sports, and more than 6,000 officially licensed Olympic products have hit the market.

23. Largest ever team from China
China will field its largest Olympic team to date when about 570 athletes contest 28 sports in Beijing.
But Chinese sports officials are trying to downplay predictions that the nation will scoop the most gold medals, affirming US and Russia as sporting powerhouses.
At the 2004 Athens Games, 407 Chinese athletes participated in 26 sports and finished second on the medal tally after the US.

24. Lowest ticket prices
Taking into account China’s average purchasing power, BOCOG ensured a low-price policy for Beijing Olympic and Paralympic tickets.
Opening ceremony prices were capped at 5,000 yuan ($641) per head, while the lowest price to a sports competition was 30 yuan ($4).
Closing ceremony tickets ranged from 150-3,000 yuan ($19-385), preliminary competition tickets from 30-300 yuan ($4-39) and tickets to the finals cost between 60 and 1,000 yuan ($8-128).
BOCOG also reserved about 14 percent of all domestically sold tickets for students at the handsome price of 5 yuan ($0.6) and 10 yuan ($1.2) for preliminaries and finals respectively.

25. Highest number of foreign coaches
In striving for excellence, various Chinese national teams have invited foreign coaches to guide them.
More than 30 foreign coaches are currently working with the Chinese Olympic team.
Many among them, such as men’s basketball coach Jonas Kazlauskas (right) from Lithuania and synchronized swimming head coach Masayo Imura from Japan, are expected to lead the home outfits to their peak performances.

26. Number of China-born athletes representing other federations
A group of Chinese-born athletes representing other countries or regions will be an important force in Beijing.
Led by former badminton national team member Zhou Mi and Wang Chen, who represent Hong Kong, and table tennis player Li Jiawei of Singapore, they will pose formidable challenges to their Chinese rivals.

27. Number of Chinese coaches in other countries and regions
A number of Chinese coaches will lead foreign teams on home soil, such as women’s volleyball legend Lang Ping (right), who will lead the US women’s team.
Meanwhile, former coach of the Chinese badminton team Li Mao will lead the South Korean team.

28. Medals of jade
Olympic medals are for the first time made of metal and jade. The medals were inlaid with Kunlun jade from China’s Qinghai province in a symbol of “respect” and “virtue” in the Chinese tradition.
China’s rich culture and history is clearly embodied in the winning designs, which reflect the values of ethics and honor, combined the with Olympic and Paralympic spirit.

29. Wushu
People who love Chinese martial arts must not miss the Beijing 2008 Wushu Tournament to be held on the sidelines of the Beijing Olympic Games from Aug 21 to 24 at the Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium.
About 128 athletes from 43 countries and regions will contest. Approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Chinese martial arts competition will feature 15 events, including 10 in Taolu (the routines) and five for Sanshou (fights).
Although not a medal sport, the tournament will be an important showcase and springboard for wushu’s wish to join the Olympic family.

30. Significance of 08-08-08
It is no coincidence that the Beijing Games begins at 8 pm on the 8th day of the 8th month of ‘08.
The number 8 has special significance to the Chinese, because 8 in Chinese is pronounced “ba”, which sounds a lot like “fa”, which means prosperity or wealth, as in “”, which means to become rich.
In Chinese culture, 8 also denotes the number of immortals and structure of trigrams, both of which are linked to auspicious ideas.
Also, when two digits of the number 8 are placed together - “88″ - they resemble the stylized form of two Chinese “”characters, hence representing double happiness, a popular motif and design usually pasted upon the doors of newly married Chinese couples.
The number 8 is highly favored among the Chinese for its connotations of good luck, fortune and longevity.

from: chinadaily.com.cn