From Hong Kong’s music and concert scene flourishing in full force, local celebrities thriving in the global entertainment scene to tourism and nightlife making a glorious comeback – 2023 has indeed been momentous for Hongkongers. As we conclude the year that was, Google has dropped its year-in-search 2023 data, reflecting the people, topics, events, and places that piqued Hong Kong’s attention this year.
While Abby Choi and Matthew Tsang were the most talked about local personalities, A Guilty Conscience was the most discussed movie title. Moreover, the King of Mandopop, Jay Chou, sat atop the list of artists whose concerts thrilled the city. Discussing the most trending topics that dominated the landscape, how can one not talk about the lucrative government policies and freebies that brought the economy back to life? The enticing ‘consumption vouchers’, scrapping of the ‘mask-wearing requirement’ and various other official schemes also take a lion’s share of the cake when it comes to Google trends.
We’ve rounded up everything from the ‘Google Hong Kong Year in Search 2023’, reminding all you Hongkongers about what dominated your search history this year!
Google Hong Kong Year in Search 2023
Top trending local and global entertainment celebrities
Michelle Yeoh‘s thrilling on-screen performances leading up to her Oscar win, Mackenyu’s incredible stint as One Piece’s Zoro and K-pop star Jackson Wang’s worldwide musical escapades made them clinch top spots in the top ‘global entertainment celebrities’ list. Have a look:
- Mickey Huang
- Aaron Yan
- Michelle Yeoh
- Ryoko Hirosue
- Jackson Wang
- Mackenyu
- Bo Hyun Ahn
- Alan Walker
- Nana Liang
- Mayday
As for the city-favourite celebrities, So Hoi-lam Erena, the first woman from Hong Kong to enter the Japanese adult video (AV) industry, topped the charts. Check it out:
- So Hoi-lam Erena
- Manner
- Chan Yee
- Joseph Lam
- Mabel Cheung
- Laurinda Ho
- Helen To
- Tony Leung
- Hilary Chong
- Albert Chau Kat Pui
Top trending local news and global news
The murder of socialite Abby Choi definitely shook the entire city, making her the most searched topic of local news. Here’s the list:
- Abby Choi
- JPEX
- Koinu
- Consumption vouchers
- Mask-wearing requirement
- Homeownership scheme
- HKeToll
- Black rainstorm signal
- Budget
- GovHK
Meanwhile, the war-stricken state in Israel and Gaza as well as Sudan were the most searched global news topics. Take a look:
- War in Israel and Gaza
- Turkey earthquakes
- Bed bugs
- Credit Suisse crisis
- Pepsi raw
- Providence
- Titan submersible implosion
- War in Sudan
- Japan treated nuclear wastewater discharge
- Chandrayaan-3
Top trending local people and games
The lost-and-found high school student Matthew Tsang became a hot topic of discussion in Hong Kong in 2023, while billionaire Joseph Lau also continued to remain in the limelight. Here’s a look at the top 10 trending local people:
- Matthew Tsang
- Joseph Lau
- Maple Yip
- Tung Chee-hwa
- Tommy Cheung
- Toyz
- Siobhan Bernadette Haughey
- Yvonne Lui
- Eunice Yung
- Au Nok-hin
As for gamers in Hong Kong, titles like Hogwarts Legacy and Honkai: Star Rail were unmatched on Google. The whole list goes like this:
- Hogwarts Legacy
- Diablo 4
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Monster Hunter Now
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Honkai: Star Rail
- Starfield
- Sword of Suzuliana: For This Peaceful World
- Final Fantasy XVI
- Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name
Top trending movies, shows and music concerts
Hong Kong’s music scene never ceases to amaze, with Cantopop idols like Twins, Jacky Cheung, Sammi Cheng, and Eason Cha treating the city to some memorable musical nights. Here are the top 10 music concerts:
Coming to blockbuster hits that breathed fresh air into movie theatres, A Guilty Conscience leads the pack with a hard-hitting HK$100 million. Check out the top 10 titles:
- A Guilty Conscience
- In Broad Daylight
- To My Nineteen-Year-Old Self
- Oppenheimer
- Suzume
- Time Still Turns the Pages
- Barbie
- The First Slam Dunk
- The Sparring Partner
- Where the Wind Blows
Coming to what Hongkongers most preferred for their binge-watch sessions, shows like The Queen of News and Left On Read take the top spots.
- The Queen of News
- Left On Read
- Destined
- The Invisibles
- The Glory
- Someday or One Day
- Narcotics Heroes
- Night Beauties
- Demi Gods And Semi Devils
- Only for Love
Top trending sports events and property news
A lot of global mega sports events including the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Wimbledon and FIBA Basketball World Cup caught the fancy of sports enthusiasts. Here’s the full list:
- FIFA Women’s World Cup
- Wimbledon
- Inter Miami CF
- FIBA Basketball World Cup
- Asian Games
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Cricket World Cup
- The US Open
- Australian Open
- Hong Kong Marathon
On the other hand, investors’ eyeballs were captured by some new properties on the block like YOHO WEST, MORI, Grand Jeté, and NOVO LAND. New shopping landmarks were also on the radar. Here’s the most trending property news:
- The Wai
- The Coastline
- AIRSIDE
- YOHO WEST
- KOKO ROSSO
- MORI
- Grand Jeté
- Hemma Amber
- In One
- NOVO LAND
Top trending travel destinations
The travel-savvy Hongkongers left no stone unturned in unfurling their wanderlust streak as post-pandemic travel resumed. 2023’s top travel destinations as revealed by searches of weather forecasts include Tokyo, Osaka, Macau and Seoul. Read the full list:
- Tokyo
- Osaka
- Macau
- Seoul
- Bangkok
- Taipei
- Japan
- Colombo
- Kyoto
- Shanghai
Lastly, what’s Hong Kong without its variety of local events? From Clockenflap to Night Vibes Hong Kong – here’s what dominated the local scene:
- Hong Kong Book Fair
- Animation-Comic-Game Hong Kong
- HKTDC Food Expo
- Clockenflap
- Night Vibes Hong Kong
- Hong Kong Flower Show
- Rubber Duck
- Art Basel
- Tsing Yi Bamboo Theatre
- Tung Chung Cherry Blossom Garden
(Hero image credit: michelleyeoh_official/jaychou/ Instagram)
(Feature image credit: Caio/ Pexels)
