More Chinese computer users asked the Web questions about blue chips and stock index futures than anything else last year.

It seems that Chinese Web users are more practical than their overseas counterparts. Among the most Googled questions internationally beginning with "what" or "how" last year were "what is love," "what is emotion," "how to kiss" and "how to meditate."

Thanks to the nation's booming stock markets where the benchmark index doubled in a year, Chinese users also asked questions beginning with "how."

But here the most searched "how" questions were "how to invest in stocks" and "how to buy funds," data released by Google China yesterday revealed.

Of the "what" question searches, seven of the top 10 most searched "whats" were for terms in the equity market, while half of the most searched 10 "hows" were for ways to invest in the market.

The results were based on Google's data as of December 20. Overall, the most searched key word in China last year was QQ, the name for the most popular instant message program in the country.

Apple Inc's iPhone was the top search subject internationally.

This is the first time Google has released this data in China so there are no comparative figures. Twelve lists were compiled covering most popular searches for news, people and entertainment events.

Searches for the 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China ranked the largest growth of a search of any news event in China on Google.

Chen Xiaoxu, the late leading actress for the classic TV series "A Dream of Red Mansions," scored the most queries for an entertainment figure.

The nude pictures of Jessica Shi Jing, the former employee of a well-known home appliance maker, were regarded as the most disreputable site on the Web.

"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" was the most searched for overseas movie, while "Lust, Caution" ranked No.1 in Chinese movies.

The diseases that cause most concern in China - according to Web searches - are diabetes and AIDS.

(Shanghai Daily January 2, 2008)