Chinese internet search provider Baidu, Inc. published on Monday its big data review, Baidu Buzz List 2019, which showed the top ten most searched and viewed topics of 2019 across 13 different categories.
The categories also included 'Keywords', 'Films', 'Events', and 'Technology', and revealed issues, people, moments, and trends that were popular in 2019 among Chinese internet users. 'The 70th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China' was found to be the most popular phrase across several categories.
'National Pride' category was dominated by achievements in science, technology
The 'National Pride' category was dominated by accomplishments in science and technology such as the landing of the Chang'e-4 space probe, the opening of Beijing's Daxing International Airport and Tu Youyou's breakthroughs in the treatment of malaria. Yuan Longping, the scientist who developed hybrid rice, topped the 'People' category, with Tu Youyou ranked second. AI was the top-ranked phrase in the 'Technology' category. 5G was the second most popular technology phrase.
The research also reflected many cultural touchpoints for internet users in 2019. 'The Wandering Earth', ranked first in the 'Films' category, which included eight Chinese and two foreign productions. 'My People, My Country. Top place in the 'TV Series' category went to 'The Story of Ming Lan'. Actor-singer Xiao Zhan ranked first in the 'Celebrities' category.
'996' and 'Wo Tai Nan Le' were among the top-ranked phrases
In the 'Buzzwords' category, top-ranked phrases included '996' (9 am-9 pm, 6 days per week work schedule), 'Wo Tai Nan Le' (my life is so hard), and 'She Chu' (corporate slave). It also captures a more optimistic view on life, as phrases like 'Bu Wang Chu Xin' (never forget why you start), 'Duan She Li' (minimalist living), and 'Hao Hai Yo' (feel so high) made the list.
China's national sports teams and athletes also generated significant attention from internet users. China's women's volleyball team, which won a repeat title at the 2019 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cup, was among the most popular phrases in 'Hot Topics' and 'Keywords', and the team's coach, Lang Ping, was the third most popular person.
The women's volleyball title, along with swimmer Sun Yang's fourth straight world title in the 400m freestyle and sprinter Su Bingtian's 60m time of 6.47 seconds, appeared in the 'National Pride' list. The early elimination of China's men's basketball team from the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup -- which was hosted by China -- ranked fourth in the 'Events' category.
