Playing loud 'n' proud

2011-04-14 07:59:19

If Beijing's current crop of indie groups can boast anything over their mainstream pop predecessors, it is the success they have enjoyed in attempts to export their sounds overseas.

Rustic melodies turn their angst into heartbreak

2011-04-14 07:59:19

The country's youthful indie rock scene is continuing to be sculpted by China's rapid social transformations, and the changes are captured in the music of the Beijing band Rustic.

Brushing up on ancient tradition

2011-04-13 07:56:07

While a Daiyuexuan studio writing brush may cost only 5 yuan, it undergoes more than 100 steps before it reaches the store's shelves.

Cheap and cheerful bits and bites around town

2011-04-13 07:56:07

It's not often a new restaurant that generates much buzz in a neighborhood - residents know they come and go like the spring sun. It's rarer still to find a convergence of old and new establishments creating a hub of decent cheap eats.

Wrapped up in the sweet flavor of love

2011-04-13 07:56:07

Take a selection of imported New Zealand dairy and Italian coffees, put them all together in a bright pink store in the middle of Beijing's famous Nanluoguxiang and what you get is 3A07 Cupcakes.

Old lantern craftsman seeks a brighter future

2011-04-12 08:03:22

Zhai Yuliang gently touches the delicate carvings on a rosewood Beijing palace lantern, as its crimson paint glistens in the light.

Man invents an English mahjong game for learners

2011-04-12 08:03:22

A gray-haired man stands beside a shabby table covered with mahjong tiles outside the Beijing University of Technology's west gate almost every afternoon.

Drivers prone to sexual difficulties

2011-04-12 08:03:22

Beijing's male taxi drivers are more likely to experience reproductive health problems, according to a recent survey by the China Family Planning Association (CFPA).

Teashop brews hope for women

2011-04-11 08:03:25

Despite the country's economic development and improved living standards, China has a high suicide rate for rural women.

Gallic arts give spring season a flavor of France

2011-04-11 08:03:25

Croisements 2011, the Franco-Chinese cultural festival, is a spring package that is full of cultural surprises.

Life lessons for Olympic stars

2011-04-11 08:03:25

Sixteen medal-winning athletes have left the hustle and bustle of Beijing for the quiet cornfields of the US Midwest to get a lesson in how to deal with life in the spotlight after clinching Olympic glory.

Swing along at the tee with Tiger

2011-04-11 08:03:25

Sporting legend Tiger Woods is heading to Beijing to teach his swing to young golf enthusiasts in the capital. The star of the fairway will tee-off in the city on Wednesday as part of a promotional tour of Asia.