People like to receive awards. One only has to sit through one of the annual media gush-fests with its endless roll calls of name-checks and thank-you's, and forced smiles and tears-to-order, to see how dear they are to thespians.
It's no secret that more and more foreigners with higher and higher qualifications are flocking to Beijing for career opportunities.
China's market for luxury goods grew 12 percent in 2009, reaching $9.6 billion and accounting for 27.5 percent of the global market share, according to a recent report by Bain & Co, a management consulting firm.
There is a group of people in China who frequently come up in conversation accompanied by a resigned sigh or a dismissive "Oh, them." In the media, they regularly feature as a subject of discourse, as the public attempts to diagnose them, identify the causes of their malaise, and figure out what can be done to fix them. From the way they are talked about, you would think they were a colony of aliens.
The latest gimmick for bringing people and their money to the empty Bird's Nest stadium is a high-wire act. The performer aims to spend five hours a day on the high wire and the rest of his 60-day stint living in a hut on the stadium roof.
Just a week ago, the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland erupted. A huge plume of ash was an unavoidable consequence. Much of Europe's airspace were closed.
On my first day in London, I received the fabulous news that I could enjoy free healthcare during my stay in Britain. About one month later, I got the chance to experience the famous National Healthcare System (NHS) firsthand.
"#$%^&," a taxi driver grumbles as he gestures toward a driver that just cut him off.
Perhaps you woke up this morning, looked in the mirror and thought, "Looking good!" and stepped out to meet the day with a spring in your step.
Recently, I saw a slogan on a subway billboard: "A low-carbon life means eating no meat." And in the company canteen, when I asked a colleague why she picked out all the meat in her meal, she answered, "This is a low-carbon life. You're out."
A recent visit to 798, the capital's best-known avant-garde art district, has left this Beijinger feeling less than inspired.
"Most of my classmates wear Nike on interview days," said my friend Jin Yue, a senior student who is going to graduate from college this June.
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