KEY POINTS:
Thump, thump, thump. On and on it went all day long, accompanied by the chatter of an excited throng.
It was just one of the signs that yesterday was an auspicious day - Beijingers lining up by their thousands at post offices, eager to have their letters and postcards stamped with the luckiest of dates: 08/08/08.
For the earlybirds, there was also the prize of being able to snap up commemorative postcards produced to mark the Olympic Games opening ceremony.
One local who was early enough said she had posted cards to her parents and friends as a souvenir and as a portent of good luck.
Elsewhere in the city, more than 16,000 Beijingers tied the knot, sealing their marriage on the day generations of Chinese will remember and look back on with pride.
"Eight is such an auspicious number, and with the opening of the Beijing Olympics, the whole nation will be celebrating with us," Li Jun, one of those marrying, told the China Daily newspaper.
"And having 2008-08-08 stamped on my marriage certificate will make it extra special."
Sure will. There's no denying that Beijingers were excited about August 8. It was like waking up on Christmas Day, such was the buzz in this city of 14 million.
And the locals were were eager to share the feeling.
In the central city, Olympic banners and posters were plastered over every available space.
Some were advertisements - I've seen basketball player Yao Ming's face so much now, he feels as familiar as an old mate.
Other billboards were there to stir the national spirit. The Olympic slogan, "One World, One Dream", is omnipresent.
Another billboard implored: "Seize the opportunity of a lifetime to realise the dream of a century."
It's a reminder that China first sought to host the Olympic Games 100 years ago. It made a serious pitch for the 2000 and 2004 Games and was sorely disappointed to miss out.
The day seven years ago, when Beijing's bid was finally accepted, was one of eruptious joy, beaten only by yesterday's outpouring of emotions.
Set aside the cynicism about the Olympics and the international brouhaha over China's human rights record for a moment, and you could not deny that this was Beijing's special day.
- Video courtesy of Television New Zealand www.tvnz.co.nz/beijing2008
