'Stock' beats 'sex' on Google China

• due to pornography being tightly blocked from the internet users

The names of two banks and the word "stock" were among the most googled terms in China last year, according to a Google China list seen Thursday.

The No. 1 word was QQ, a Chinese instant-messaging service and a brand of car. China Merchants Bank, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, and "stock" ranked second, third, and fourth, according to a list supplied by Google China on its Web site.

Ranking fifth through 10th were "game," China Construction Bank, Google Earth, Thunder, Kaspersky, and MSN. Thunder is a download tool, and Kaspersky Lab is an security software seller.

The China Daily pointed out that "sex" was the most popular keyword for Google users in some other countries, but it didn't even make the top 10 list in China.

China keeps a tight rein on Internet content and has launched several campaigns to root out online pornography, perhaps one reason why "sex" didn't score so well.

"On the Chinese mainland, it was money and technology that took the honors last year," according to an article in the China Daily.

In another Google list called "Qiu Zhi," or "Seeking Knowledge," "What is a blue chip" and "How to invest in the stock market" were the most searched questions on Google in China. On the global list, "What is love" and "How to kiss" took top rankings.

Reuters