Top Chinese search engine Baidu.com has put a character sketch of Xu Sanduo, the hero of a popular TV series, at its logo on Wednesday, declaring they will pick a person in the spotlight every month starting from November.

Top Chinese search engine baidu.com has put a character sketch of Xu Sanduo, the hero of a popular TV series, at its logo on Wednesday, November 7, 2007.

Beijing Daily Messenger reported that the website will chose the logo person based on search rankings by netizens on their engine, like Time Magazine's Person of the Year.

The person should have been in the public arena during the latest month and he or she will represent a current trend, spiritually or practically speaking, an officer from Baidu told the newspaper.

For example, Xu Sanduo, this month's person, is a devoted soldier. He is an ordinary person but he possesses an optimistic and persistent spirit, which is greatly applauded by audiences, the officer said.

The move has been welcomed by netizens. "Whenever I log on to the website and am greeted by Xu Sanduo's smiling face, I feel encouraged and full of energy," one user was quoted as saying.

Xu Sanduo, hero in the TV series Soldier Sortie.

(CRI.cn November 8, 2007)