The debate

Debate over lotteries still persisted. To overcome the resistance, Tang Minze, chief of Hebei Welfare Lottery Center, came up with a slogan to advertise ticket sales, but it was opposed by many.

"Sincere wishes to win the top awards," it read. Some thought it could be misleading as it encouraged people to participate in lotteries to win instead of contributing to society, Tang recalls in an interview with People's Pictorial. At that time, making contributions to society was equated with selfless service.

The debate was so intense that the ad line had to be cleared by the central government. Once the go-ahead came through, 3,500 posters publicizing the lottery blanketed Shijiazhuang.

On July 27, 1987, lottery sales started and vice-mayor Sun Yongsheng, who was among a number of government officials to campaign for the lottery, bought the country's first 10 lottery tickets from Tang.

Unlike elsewhere in the world, in China lottery was linked to a patriotic spirit and the event was hyped as a charity fundraiser rather than a chance to get rich quick.

Sales pushed by patriotism weren't brisk. On the first day 58 counters in Shijiazhuang sold tickets worth only 1,246 yuan and most were bought by government officials although the local authorities planned to issue a total of 80 million tickets.

Wen Guobin, a peasant in Shijiazhuang, got 2,000 yuan, the first top award in China's first lottery. The win enabled Wen to have a decent wedding. He bought four tickets and the lucky number was 046806, according to Hebei Youth Daily.