Liu Xiaobo, Rex Tso, and ‘The Exorcist’s Meter’: Google reveals 2017 search trends for Hong Kong

Boxers, politicians and TV shows were among the most searched items in Google’s list of trending topics in Hong Kong for 2017.

The most-searched item in Hong Kong is The Exorcist’s Meter, a TVB show about a night-shift taxi driver who accidentally awakens a 100-year-old spirit after urinating on a highway, and as a result is able to see demons and ghosts. Using this newfound power, the driver then takes on the ultimate task of slaying demons in Hong Kong.

In fact, The Exorcist’s Meter is one of seven TV shows to feature in the top 10 most-searched items in Hong Kong for this year.

Other most-searched in the TV category include Korean fantasy romance Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, which features goblins, grim reapers and benevolent souls; and My Unfair Lady, about two successful career women fighting with mainland and Taiwanese women trying to win the hearts of the men they love.

The three non TV-related items were the iPhone 8, iPhone X, and Yixin.

It was also a busy year for current affairs in Hong Kong, thanks to this year’s chief executive elections, which saw Carrie Lam beat former financial secretary John Tsang (affectionately known as Uncle Pringles because of his uncanny resemblance to the man on the Pringles tube), and retired judge Woo Kwok-hing. All three feature in the list of most-searched for local figures.

Lam may have won the election, but she was floored in the search rankings by superstar boxing champion and “Wonder Kid” Rex Tso, who won 22 victories after beating Japanese boxer Kohei Kono in October.

The 30-year-old boxer’s match with Kono ended after six rounds, with Tso winning the fight on a technical decision and continuing to fight despite swelling around one of his eyes.

Other widely-searched figures include Howard Lam, a democracy activist who faked a story about his being kidnapped by mainland Chinese agents; former chief executive Donald Tsang, who was sentenced to 20 months in jail for misconduct in public office; and former Home Affairs secretary Patrick Ho, who was arrested for leading a multimillion dollar bribery scheme in Africa on behalf of a top Chinese energy company.

The 2017 chief executive election and Lam’s first policy address were among the most-searched local news items in Hong Kong.

But Hongkongers were more interested in Typhoon Hato, a deadly storm that arrived in Hong Kong in August that prompted the observatory to raise the highest warning signal for the first time since 1946. Tropical storm Pakhar, which arrived in Hong Kong shortly after Hato, also made it to the top 10 list for local news searches.

Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron were among those who featured in a list of most-searched people for Hong Kong. But they were pipped to the post by Nobel Peace Prize winner and human rights activist Liu Xiaobo, who passed away in July. He was followed by Kim Jong-nam – the step-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jon-un and eldest son of the hermit state’s former leader Kim Jong-il – who was assassinated at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in February.

Xiao Jianhua, a Chinese-Canadian businessmen and billionaire known for managing assets for members of the Chinese Communist Party, also featured in the trending list after he was abducted to the mainland this year.

Aside from Rex Tso, boxing also made a strong showing with Floyd Mayweather, and “Mad Dog” Xu Xiaodong — the MMA fighter who was challenged by a tai chi master — popping up in the top searches.

It was also an interesting year of tech-related searches with the iPhone 8 and iPhone X becoming the most-searched for gadgets in Hong Kong.

Despite being released in July last year, Pokémon GO is still alive and well in Hong Kong, topping the most-searched gaming item, with Gundam Versus and FIFA 18 also sitting in the top 10.

Top 10 searches

1. The Exorcist’s Meter
2. iPhone 8
3. My Unfair Lady
4. iPhone x
5. OCTB (Organised Crime and Triad Bureau)
6. Linewalker: The Prelude
7. Guardian: The Lonely and Great God
8. The Legend of the Condor Heroes 2017
9. A General, A Scholar and a Eunuch
10. Yixin

Local figures

1. Rex Tso
2. Howard Lam
3. Donald Tsang
4. Carrie Lam
5. John Tsang
6. Patrick Ho
7. Seasun
8. Cecilia Yeung (athlete)
9. Woo Kwok-hing
10. Agnes Chan

Local news

1. Typhoon Hato
2. Chief Executive Election
3. Hing Tak School
4. Blue Whale Game
5. Chief executive’s policy address
6. Food trucks
7. Tropical storm Pakha
8. DSE results 2017
9. Rex Tso match
10. PopVote

International figures

1. Liu Xiaobo
2. Kim Jong-nam
3. Donald Trump
4. Floyd Mayweather
5. Xiao Jianhua
6. Emmanuel Macron
7. Philippe Coutinho
8. Xu Xiaodong
9. Ke Jie
10. Kohei Kono

International news

1. 19th National Congress of the Communist party of China
2. Catalonia
3. Hurricane Irma
4. United Airlines
5. Las Vegas
6. Macau Race
7. Haze
8. Qatar
9. Brazilian black meat
10. Grenfell Tower

Gaming

1. Pokémon GO
2. Black Desert Online
3. Onmyyoji
4. Gundam Versus
5. Lineage 2: Revolution
6. Splatoon 2
7. Dynasty Warrios: Unleashed
8. MHXX
9. Arena of Valour
10. FIFA 18

Finance

1. Yixin
2. Razer Inc
3. China Literature
4. Bitcoin
5. 2017 Budget
6. RMB against HKD
7. Hang Seng Internet Banking
8. PayMe
9. Alipay
10. AAC Technologies Holdings Inc.

Gadgets

1. iPhone8
2. iPhone X
3. Switch
4. Nokia 8
5. Nokia 6
6. Samsung S8
7. Samsung Note 8
8. Huawei Mate 10
9. LG G6
10. OnePlus 5T