With less than 10 days till the new year, China’s search engine giant Baidu has released a list of the top search requests for 2015 on Tuesday. Here is a glimpse of the year’s top 10 search events which attracted 600 million monthly active users on Baidu.
1. The September 3 Military Parade
The parade in Beijing commemorated the 70th anniversary of the Japanese surrender and showcased China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers marching with military precision down Chang’an Avenue.
2. The Tianjin Explosions
A series of massive explosions originating in a chemical warehouse rocked the Port of Tianjin, killing over 170 people and injuring nearly 800 on August 12.
3. The Second-Child Policy
Chinese state media outlet Xinhua announced the end of the controversial one-child policy on October 15. The Chinese government will now allow couples to have two children.
4. The Uniqlo Sex Video
A video of a couple having sex in a Uniqlo store in Beijing’s Sanlitun neighborhood went viral in mid July. It was reported that millions had viewed the video before it was removed from social media sites.
5. Bi Fujian Disciplined
CCTV suspended its famous host Bi Fujian in mid-April after he was caught on video making off-handed critical remarks about Mao Zedong at a private dinner. His shows were temporarily pulled off air.
6. The Battle to Protect China’s Main Board
Beijing initiated a series of policies to strengthen the market after the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets dropped precipitously in June and July. The policies included limitations on short selling, bans on large shareholders from selling, compelling major funds to buy stock, suspending IPOs, and making funds available to brokers for buying shares.
7. The Devaluation of the RMB
The People’s Bank of China devalued the Renminbi by over 2% between August 11 and August 14.
8. Apple’s September Announcement
Apple CEO Tim Cook announced the iPhone 6s and 3D Touch on September 9.
9. The Discovery of a “Second Earth”
NASA announced in July that they have discovered a planet similar to Earth with water, a temperate climate, and just the right amount of oxygen in the air. The planet is 1,400 light years from Earth, five times the mass, and more than a billion years older than our blue marble.
10. The Japan Earthquake of May 30, 2015
An 8.5 magnitude earthquake hit the Bonin (or Ogasawara) Islands in Southern Japan at 8:24pm local time. No major damage or deaths were reported.
（All photos from Baidu Images)