Conspiracy theorists and number mystics beware! Could the series of numbers 1111, which is currently screeching at us on websites and billboards all over China, perhaps encode a deeper meaning? It does indeed. The secret message is „buy, buy, buy“ (买买买 mǎi mǎi mǎi)! Because every year on 11/11 – so it’s that time again in just a few days – China celebrates a foolish shopping carnival . Online retailers and shops usually engage in a wild price battle weeks in advance and pave the public and virtual space with corresponding advertising messages. Inebriated shopping victims are then sometimes almost too exhausted (or financially bled dry) to click the „buy“ button again during the final spurt on November 11.