The survey shows that Chinese people are now more aware of things going on both at home and abroad.

The survey, carried out by the China Mainland Marketing Research Company and 20 other marketing research institutes nationwide, collected the opinions of 58 million residents in 22 major cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

The fifth national census tops the list of home events, put there by 45.9 percent of those surveyed.

Beijing's failure to win its first bid for the Olympic Games eight years ago did not dampen people's hopes, and its bid for the 2008 Games has won the nation's support.

The systematic and comprehensive projects to improve the infrastructure and environment of Beijing have shown the government's determination to be the host in 2008.

This current event was considered the second most important of the year, with a score of 45.2 percent.

In third place is the outstanding performance of Chinese athletes, who won 28 gold medals, the third highest number, in the Sydney Olympic Games.

This unprecedented success is considered to be advantageous for Beijing's 2008 Games bid.

Economic reform and the country's development strategy were also mentioned often by those surveyed.

The country's massive plan to develop its western regions, China's impending entry into the World Trade Organization and the blueprint for the nation's development in the next five years rank fourth, sixth and ninth respectively.

The price reduction on more than 120 types of drugs to lessen the heavy burden on those needing medical help was shown to be the fifth most important news story by the survey.

The central government's persistence in cracking down on corruption was also considered important. The passing of the death penalty for Cheng Kejie, the former vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, who was found guilty of accepting bribes, and the uncovering of the biggest ever smuggling case in Xiamen of Fujian Province made their way into the top 10.

People also showed their interest in the overthrow of the Kuomintang party "presidential" candidate in Taiwan Province.

As for international news, the US presidential election took the top position.

The Sydney Olympic Games, which was big news in every sports-loving country, ranked second.

In third place is the Kursk disaster, the sinking of a Russian nuclear submarine in the Barents Sea, which resulted in the death of all 118 on board and the raising of questions about military safety in the massive country.

People also consider the conflicts between Palestine and Israel and the groudbreaking summit between the leaders of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea to be important, according to the survey.

The other world news stories that made it into the top 10 are: the election of Vladimir Putin as Russian president; the vast increase in the cost of crude oil; the mapping of the human genome; the visit by US President Bill Clinton to Viet Nam and the crisis of confidence in Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori.

(China Daily 12/25/2000)