The Curse of the Beijing Olympics

Most of the American ideas of China surround magnificent mythology, the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon legends...these are of course, sadly, not always true. But the one aspect of Chinese cultural that we do tend to get right is the superstition. And never has there been such a shining, ridiculous example as in the Curse of the Beijing Olympics. This is so fascinating, check it out!

Some might disagree but they are the most superstitious people in the world. Perhaps it’s the lack of organized religion, but the Chinese are quick to link natural disasters, accidents and violence to a combination of divine intervention and heavenly anger. Now China’s online “net citizens” are linking Beijing’s Olympic mascots to a string of misfortunes in the run-up to the Games. Four out of the five “fuwas” - literally friendly toys - are being tied in to the natural and human disasters visited on China during the turbulent build-up.

Jingjing - the Panda - an animal closely associated with Sichuan Province, epicentre of last month’s terrible quake.

Huanhuan - the Olympic torch - the round the world torch relay was a PR disaster of awesome proportions.Yingying - the Antelope - native to Tibet, the location of the March riots and the military crackdown. Nini - the Kite - the kite city of Weifang is located in Shandong, scene of April’s deadly train crash that killed 72 people. Beibei - the Fish - a Chinese sturgeon found only in the Yangtze River. Is this the location for China’s next major disaster as many are guessing.

“The scariest part of the message is the question it raised,” said website editor Chen Wei after seeing the postings. “You never know what Beibei (the sturgeon) has in store”. In other words the worst may be yet to come. I won’t say I believe it, but I do feel a little worried about the unknown.”

Now there is also concern about the number eight. It’s supposed to be a lucky number. So much so that China’s Olympic Organizers have chosen August 8, 2008 as the opening date for the Games. But the online doom and gloomers point out that this year’s snowstorm, the worst in a century, struck on 25/01 and if the numbers are added up they total eight. The same applies to the date of the Tibetan riots 14/03 and the earthquake 12/05.

The website reports: “The conclusion: counter to conventional wisdom, eight brings bad luck and untold disaster is in store for August 8, 2008. The very date chosen for the Olympic Opening Ceremony because of its supposed auspiciousness.”

Chinese culture is steeped in superstition, with numbers playing a major role in birthdays, wedding dates and naming. Six, eight and nine are considered lucky numbers. The pronunciation of nine means everlasting, particularly in relationships, while six means things will go smoothly. Telephone numbers, license plates and even residential or business addresses which use any of or a combination of those numbers are extremely popular and often cost more. Conversely, anything involving the numbers four and seven are avoided as much as possible. Four sounds like the Chinese word for death. Seven translates as “gone” which can also mean death, while one can signify loneliness.