Netizens choose Chinese word “Character of the Year” to slam price rise issues

BEIJING - Zhang, the Chinese character that is used to describe a rapid price rise, has been voted by netizens as “Character of the Year,” suggesting that people are becoming dissatisfied with inflation and soaring house prices.

According to the China Daily, 2,993 people voted for the character out of the 7,563 cast in the poll that was organized by tianya.cn, one of the most popular online forums in China.

Zhang was followed by the character Yuan (meaning resentment), hui (meaning gray), chai (meaning demolish) and si (meaning death).

A total of 265 Chinese characters were nominated for the voting, which lasted from November 2 to December 15.

“We heard various opinions about which character summarized the big events of the year 2010 and most netizens finally chose zhang, which mirrors the fact that price surges have affected the lives of so many people,” the paper quoted Ying Jianqun, head of the press department of tianya.cn, as saying.

“I hope the related government departments will hear the response from the public,” Ying added.

Meanwhile, the annual Blue Book of China’s Society, released on Wednesday by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said prices topped the list of concerns in 2010 and people’s ability to absorb price rises has exhausted sharply.

According to the report, public satisfaction with jobs and social security were at its lowest for four years.

“Urban and rural residents’ overall satisfaction with life declined as the negative impacts of the financial crisis gradually came into play in 2010,” it added. (ANI)