License Plates & Feng Shui
License plates [for cars] in Hong Kong come in two varieties: letters + numbers (the usual kind) or numbers only. The second type are sold at auction. Some numbers are far more popular than others. The trouble is that the Cantonese word for 4 四 "sei" (mid level tone) is quite similar to 死 (death). This is also true in Mandarin. This is in additition to Chinese notions of Feng Shui (Wind and Water), basically a complex form of superstition.
The combination of Western and Chinese superstition leads to the omission of both 13 and 14 [certainly dead] from floor numbers in some (not all) buildings. The Nan Fung Centre (where I work) has Floor 15 one level above Floor 12, but served by different banks of elevators so that 12 and 15 don't appear on the same control panel making it obvious. On the other hand, Lido Garden where I live [5 36-storey buildings] doesn't do that.
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