Beijing lesson for some

When Chinese students and parents hear that I went to a certain American university, they perk up with interest. I know then that the usual torrent of questions about how to study abroad is coming my way.

With due respect to the 'elderly'

Beijing has made me old - or should I say, elderly. And I'm not upset at all. Indeed, if anything, I feel a bit chuffed about it, especially in crowded buses and on subways.

Classic remakes should respect original versions

Wang Kun, a famous Chinese folk singer said that she hates the Chinese folk singers who perform in the kind of gowns worn by French ladies. My parents, who are both fans of this great singer especially popular in their generation, also expressed similar opinions concerning the evaluation of some currently popular folk song singers.

Quotation of the day

Hotpot hospitality boils over at Haidilao chain

The motto at Haidilao is "service first, customers first."

What's on

Out + About

Faith has hope in charity work

Australian student talks to METRO reporter Todd Balazovic about Miss Laowai Pageant

Q & A

Most people are either running to Beijing or away from something back home, which would you say you are and why?

Parkour film producer banks on smooth moves

With her peers still in college, Yang Ziheng has landed her own first chance to make a movie and is already planning a second.

Casting wary eye on prize

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.

Appreciate modern architecture

When I moved to Beijing in 2006, one of my best expatriate friends, an Irish attorney who came here in the late 1990s, informed me that once upon a time, the city had just one tall tower, the Capital Mansion north of Sanlitun. Now there are over 300 skyscrapers in the Central Business District alone. Beijing, it is often said, currently resembles a circus tent, with highrises ringing the dwindling number of low-slung courtyard houses in its inner core.

How fair is it to consume breakfast on the subway?

As it grows warmer, more and more commuters will be taking breakfast with them to eat on the way to work. Crowded carriages will smell of meat, garlic and soy milk, and some passengers will be bothered. Is eating breakfast on the subway the sort of bad behavior that should be prohibited, like smoking?