Top 10 Baidu Searches Last Week

Apologies for the slight delay — normally we post this on weekends but I was caught up in some international travel. Anyway, here’s what people were searching for on Baidu (China’s biggest search engine) last week:

1. Guo Meimei: Rumors that Guo, a young woman who boasted online of her extravagant lifestyle, was affiliated with a high level official in the Chinese Red Cross led further fuel to the allegations of misuse of funds and corruption that continue to plague that organization. (Image source).



2. 2011 Middle School Entry Test Scores: People are searching for the official websites where they can check their (or their childrens’) scores on the Middle School Entry Test, which determines what high schools students can attend.



3. “Naruto” 437: Another week, another episode. People are searching for the latest “Naruto”, a Japanese anime TV show. (Image source)



4. Li Enmei– Li is was a South Korean singer and member of the group IRIS who was stabbed to death by an ex-boyfriend while on her way home on June 19th. (Image source: Baidu Baike)



5. Su Miaoling: Su is a Super Girl (singing contest) contestant who advanced to the final 13 segment of the popular televised contest on June 25th. (Image source: Baidu Baike)



6. Nokia n9: The Nokia n9, a new smartphone from Nokia, was launched in China this past week. (Image source)



7. Zhou Dongyu: Zhou is a young actress who took the Gaokao — China’s college entrance exam — at the beginning of this month. Rumors online suggested that she had scored a 154 (not good) but she has since said those stories are untrue and that her actual score is 286 (which is more respectable). (Image source: Baidu Baike)
8. “It Started With a Kiss”: People are searching for the collected episodes of “It Started With a Kiss,” a live-action Taiwanese soap based on a Japanese anime show. (Image source: Baidu Baike)
9. Beijing Torrential Rains: Beijing, where the weather is usually extremely dry, was suddenly hit with torrential downpours last week that led to significant flooding in some areas. (Image source)
10. Honor Mission: Honor Mission is a free-to-play FPS being developed by the Chinese military as a recruiting tool in the model of the US military’s highly successful “America’s Army” game. On June 25th, a press conference in Beijing revealed more details on the game, which is expected to launch in June 2012. (Image source: Baidu Baike)