Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is scheduled to chat with Internet surfers at 3:00 p.m. Saturday on two state news portals.

Internet users from home and abroad reacted enthusiastically and as of 2:59 p.m. they have raised nearly 40,000 questions. The following are some of them:

-- Have you ever watched the TV opera Dwelling Narrowness? (The popular domestic TV opera depicts the lives of modern-day young people under the pressure of rocketing housing prices)

-- As a premier, can you afford an apartment in Beijing with your current salary?

-- What Internet portals do you often visit?

-- Please pay attention to the country's 130 million heptitis B carriers.

-- Whether the government has a schedule to promote the officials' asset reporting system.

-- I wonder why we common people feel difficult to obtain loans in banks but rich people feel easy. Our generaiton born after the 1980s want to start our own business, and we want to get some loans to have our own venture so as to contribute to the country.

-- When can China become a real sports power instead of just grabbing Olympic gold medals?