A spike in caesarean births was also reported in some areas, the single biggest baby bumper crop since the rush to be the first to give birth on Jan 1, 2000, newspapers reported.

Beijing's Olympics organisers had already taken advantage of the timing to launch their one-year countdown to next year's summer Games.

The number eight is considered lucky because it rhymes with the word for 'prosper'.

In a similar vein, the number four is considered unlucky because it is a homonym for the word 'death'.

A local government in the southern island province of Hainan won notoriety this week for dropping the number four from all licence plates issued in the city due to their unpopularity with drivers.

In Beijing, 3,390 couples braved long lines at registries to get married on Wednesday, the official Xinhua news agency said. First in line was Mr Zhao Gang, who said he began queuing on Tuesday afternoon.

'I have...waited more than 17 hours with my girlfriend to become the first couple to register on a very propitious date,' he was quoted as telling Xinhua.

Still, Wednesday's rush could be but a trickle compared to that expected next year, when the date becomes even more auspicious - Aug 8, 2008.

ASSOCIATED PRESS