I’ve done a very unscientific survey about Chinese places and people to see what kind of presence they have on the internet in the English language.
I used Google and a virtual private network so the results are not skewed by Chinese censorship and filters. I put the search term in quotations. I searched the names of China’s most recent political leaders, including Great Helmsman Mao Zedong. Then I threw in names of popular basketball star Yao Ming, and Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan.
Then for good measure, I threw in the Dalai Lama, who hasn’t been in China in five decades but who is considered Chinese by Beijing because he is from Tibet.
Again, these results are just for English, not Chinese, which would be an entirely different matter.
1) “Forbidden City” – 2.02 million hits
2) “Jackie Chan” – 7.71 million hits
3) “Mao Zedong” – 1.81 million hits
4) “Mao Tse-tung” – 1.87 million hits (trying to measure whether the old form spelling would draw larger numbers.)
5) “Great Wall of China” – 1.67 million hits
6) “Hu Jintao” – 2.65 million hits
7) “Jiang Zemin” – 763,000 hits
8) “Deng Xiaoping” – 1.48 million hits
9) “Dalai Lama” – 10.9 million hits
10) “Tiananmen Square” – 1.27 million hits
11) “Yao Ming” – 2.2 million hits
This shows what a challenge faces China as it tries to get its point of view out to the world in what arguably is the dominant language of the globe.
Jackie Chan produces four times more hits than the iconic founder of modern China. And the Dalai Lama is by far the best known “Chinese” person out there.
I can’t help but wonder if a researcher were to do a survey on the streets of four major world cities – let’s just say New York, Berlin, Johannesburg and Bangkok for the sake of argument – and ask passersby to identify by at least one name Mao Zedong, Jackie Chan and the Dalai Lama, which would come out ahead? Would it vary in regions of the world?
Dalai Lama is a title and there are at least 14 Dailai Lamas till now. If you search using Chairman or President instead of Mao Zedong or Obama, I'm sure you will get more hits :)
Posted by: Simon | April 20, 2009 at 04:35 AM
Searching the names in Chinese language.
胡锦涛 21 millions
奥巴马 8.6 millions
十四世达赖喇嘛 0.1 million
Posted by: qunhuaa | March 11, 2009 at 04:12 PM
Well, it is most interesting to read such an article.
It could most probably indicate our stages of ignorance.
In the West, we have medias with remarkable staging and fiery rhetoric including glorifications, but this is seldom heard of in other parts of the world.
Even a comment by a financial CEO, can moved the world stock markets.
How great!
Posted by: small ? | March 11, 2009 at 02:17 PM
If you search "Madoff", it ends up 8.2 million hits.
If you search on "GM", it edns 145 million hits. If you search on "Bail Out", it ends up with 35.7 million hits.
Posted by: qunhuaa | March 11, 2009 at 01:40 PM
Watched CNN today. daLiar Dazin Gayso looks he is on his way to hell. What bothers me is that he might have achieved the long lost legendary ascient capability to absorb Qi energy from virgins.
Posted by: Jeff | March 10, 2009 at 07:59 PM
LOL, the only thing that we Chinese should do to Dazin Gayso is to wait. We have all the time in the world. Give him all the "holyness" in the world he couldn't 10 - 20 years? Just wait and let those idiots die out.
Posted by: Sparkle | March 10, 2009 at 07:20 PM
It is no surprise "Dalai Lama" get the most hits as a Chinese. Just like another 2 similiar examples:
1. when you search to find which Saudi's name get the most hits from Google, it will be "Bin Laden" - about 20,400,000 for Bin Laden. (0.29 seconds)
2. when you search to find which german's name get the most hits from Google, it will be "Hitler" - about 34,100,000 for Hilter. (0.20 seconds)
Posted by: Howard | March 10, 2009 at 09:17 AM
Results 1 - 10 of about 77,500,000 for "paris hilton".
Posted by: zeng | March 10, 2009 at 12:43 AM
Maybe everyone in New York and Berlin knows the Dalai Lama and his current plights. But how many of them know that he was approved by the Chinese government (under the Nationalist Party) to be the Dalai Lama, and that, similarly, his reincarnation has to be approved by the Chinese government as well? The selectivity of the popular culture industry and the mass media in publicizing certain things but not others is striking.
Posted by: Soft News | March 09, 2009 at 01:31 PM
Jim, soft news (a.k.a popular culture) rather than hard news rules. And let's face it, the Dalai Lama is also part of Western popular culture, which explains his number of hits. But your point about "what a challenge faces China as it tries to get its point of view out to the world" is well taken. Part of it is the success of the Dalai Lama's information (and sometimes misinformation) campaign in building their concept of Tibet into Western popular culture, which the Chinese government cannot compete.
Check out this excellent book, Jim, "All the News that Fit to Sell--How the Market Transforms Information into News", by James T. Hamilton, 2003, Princeton University Press.
Posted by: Soft News | March 09, 2009 at 01:14 PM
The US press arguably projects the most influence around the world especially among English speakers, but the Dalai Lama isn't as popular in the US as in Europe; however European publications I would argue has the 2nd largest global reach after the US. I think the Dalai Lama would definitely outpace Jackie Chan in every corner of the world.
Posted by: meh | March 09, 2009 at 02:31 AM
How would the Dalai Lama stack up against Michael Jordan on the streets of those very same cities? I'm afraid MJ who has been essentially invisible for a handful of years would still slam dunk the DL. Pop culture sweeter than wine.
Posted by: Jim | March 09, 2009 at 01:29 AM
You know, Jeff, after your first comment I did the same thing and also got your result. But I suspect that "Daliar Lama" actually incorporates all of "Dalai Lama" as well.
Posted by: Tim J | March 09, 2009 at 12:44 AM
Results 1 - 10 of about 10,900,000 for "daliar lama". (0.18 seconds)
Posted by: jeff | March 09, 2009 at 12:18 AM
So it is Dalai Lama, again. If you search for Daliar Lama, you may add more hits.
I wish Daliar Lama, His Holiness, a swift, uneventful, divine reincarnation. Do it now! Save the world!
Posted by: jeff | March 09, 2009 at 12:14 AM