Dr Steve Tsang interviewed on internet poll of this years favourite Chinese characters
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Steve Tsang was interviewed on BBC Radio 4s Newshour on Sunday for his response to a recent poll in which just over 7,500 Chinese internet users were asked to offer their choice of Chinese characters to represent the year 2010.
The Top 5 characters represented Price rise, Resentment, Grey, Demolition and Death. When asked what this revealed about life in modern China, Dr Tsang suggested that these words may touch on a wider disatisfaction with Chinese life, but pointed out that this very small poll is unlikely to represent the views of the vast majority of working class and lower middle class Chinese citizens who do not have internet access.
He also suggested that Chinese internet users sometimes show more of a tendancy to complain than non-internet users.
The full programme can be heard here (c.18:00 on the iPlayer clock).
