The date of the Games, supposed to be an auspicious day, and the five Fuwa mascots have been a lightning rod for suspicions as netizens try to make sense of the recent disasters on the mainland. Four eights are associated with the Games - the 8pm start on the 8th day of the 8th month in the year zero eight. The New Year snowstorms struck on January 25 - the twenty-fifth day of the first month (2 + 5 + 1 = 8). The riots in Tibet happened on March 14, and the earthquake happened on May 12. Netizens wonder when the fourth 'eight' disaster will strike. Even the Fuwas are under suspicion. Huanhuan represents the Olympic flame which has been dogged by protests. Jingjing, the panda, represents Sichuan - site of the earthquake. Yingying is an antelope from Tibetan - scene of recent unrest. Beibei, the fish, could be tied to the floods. Nini has been linked to a fatal train crash in kite city Weifang . However, experts in the matters of luck say the catastrophes are just a coincidence, and netizens are being far too simplistic in their reasoning. Numerologist Angel Poon said the number eight was a powerful number associated with both growth and loss. She added that just taking the event's starting time would not give an accurate picture. 'You need to also look at specific location and the person's birth chart,' she said. Fung shui master Mak Ling-ling said there is a formula to calculate the year's luck which depends on the date and time when spring begins. She did, however, caution that as August 8 will be the day after the beginning of autumn some changes may be expected to reflect the change in seasons. She also cautioned that the Year of the Rat was not good for things involving horses. I Ching expert Albert Cheung Kwong-yin said divination was also a matter of personal instinct. He said, however, that China's power was generally on the rise. Astrologist Jupiter Lai said predictions were far more complicated than just adding a few dates together. She said it's essential to look at the nation's and the leader's birth chart which include the birth date, location and time to gain accurate insight. Not even a consultation with the cards turned up any bad omens. Three cards picked from the Osho Zen tarot deck were all positive, according to reader Lee Yuen-shan. The three cards pulled were abundance, friendliness and participation.
