Top 10 hot topics on Internet 2009

1. Could "hide and seek" lead to death?

Spotlight turned on detention center reform after 24-year-old detainee Li Qiaoming was found beaten to death by a fellow inmate in a Yunnan province facility after initial claims he died during a game of hide and seek in February.

2. Could self-defense be excessive?

The story of Deng Yujiao, a waitress who resisted the sexual advances of local officials in Badong, Hubei province, and killed one of them, has not ended with her acquittal by a court. It raises an essential, though hypothetical, question: Would the verdict have been the same were it not for the intervention of the sympathetic public?

3. Can you say things online about others that are not true?

Indecent photos and words hoaxed by Yan's ex-lover in a blog falsely proclaimed the woman is HIV positive in bid to get revenge - a case study into the debate about people's rights to privacy in cyberspace.

4. Can a doctor play games while on duty?

A 5-month-old baby died in hospital while the doctor was "stealing vegetables" in an online game and missed the opportunity to save the baby in Nanjing in November. The baby's parents have urged quick action for the reform of health care system to avoid future tragedies.

5. Can one say bad things about the government online?

Blogger Wang Shuai was tracked down across provinces and arrested after he posted words against the local government - something about the "illegal conduct" of the government. Is it the proper penalty for slander or is it a violation of a citizen's right to speech? Are people really free to post opinions in online communities?

6. How dangerous could smoking expensive cigarettes be - to your lung and to your career?

China's discipline watchdog launched a joint campaign with the Chinese Association of Tobacco Control (CACT) to ban government officials from purchasing tobacco using public funds in June.

The move came after Internet users uploaded photos of Zhou Jiugeng showing a pack of Nanjing 95 Imperial cigarettes sitting in front of the former director of the real estate management bureau in Nanjing. The cigarettes cost about 150 yuan (about $22) per pack.

7. Do you need a license to practice medicine?

Hospitals have a responsibility to provide opportunities for medical students to practice. But what if a patient is in critical condition?

Disorder and irresponsibility in hospitals worry the public as Xiong Zhuowei, a research fellow with the prestigious Beijing University First Hospital died of pulmonary failure after undergoing spinal surgery at the age of 49 November 3.

8. Do the rich - and their offsprings - have the right to drive recklessly?

Tan Zhuo, 25, was killed by a speeding Mitsubishi sports car in a downtown Hangzhou crosswalk in May. A forensic report by motor vehicle experts showed the car was traveling between 84 km and 101 km per hour when the accident happened.

The driver of the car, 20-year-old college student Hu Bin even joked with his friends after the accident.

Hu received a three-year jail sentence in July. Tan's parents got 1.13 million yuan ($164,800) compensation for his death, mental suffering and other fees.

9. Do the urban young have a chance for a decent place to live?

The 35-episode TV series has touched a raw nerve in its audience, who sympathize with the characters' moral dilemmas. The hit show depicts a large demographic of urban young dwellers whose dream for an apartment of their own is receding farther and farther away as housing prices skyrocket.

10. Is it a sports game or a scripted play?

While China's football is still struggling to restore fans' confidence, the biggest ever match-fixing incident among China Super League (CSL) clubs was exposed, casting a shadow over the popular but struggling sport in China.