A bumper year for digging up the past

The six most important archaeology discoveries of 2013 were unveiled by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in December, with the earliest dating back more than 4,000 years.

Books offer a glimpse of China in 2014

At a meeting of writers, Sinologists and publishing professionals in Beijing in December, a wry joke circulated. In the past, the experts said to each other, only three types of Chinese books found their way into Western readers' libraries: traditional culture, controversy and anything about beauty and sex.

A booming market for words and translations

An article recently published in Swiss newspaper Berner Zeitung refers to Chinese publishing as a mysterious "Black Box" lacking channels to get information and feedback.

Skin-deep decisions

In 2003, when Beijing-based office worker Yu Lu decided to buy a whitening facial cream, her most important consideration was: Is it effective? Time flies. A decade on, with more Chinese people conscious about environmental protection, Yu, now 35, has become more sophisticated when selecting cosmetics products.

DIY beauty gurus put their best face forward

In recent years, China's cosmetics market has seen a rise in the number of homegrown brands developed by self-taught beauty experts.

IN BRIEF (Page 22)

Honor the past, live in the present

In December, the Chinese abacus was listed as an intangible cultural heritage at the annual UNESCO World Heritage Congress. It was not big news in China. But it perplexed as many people as it made proud: Are we supposed to keep using the old calculating tool, or should we place it in museums?

Chronicling the post-1980 generation

A new book detailing the latest research on the post-1980 generation has given a snapshot of a group under huge financial and social pressures, but who remain optimistic about their future.

Crustacean sensation

Lobsters are a delicious but expensive delicacy. But people can eat them at a much more affordable price now in Beijing. The Cantonese restaurant group Tang Palace announced on Dec 12 its Beijing restaurants would serve Canadian lobster at a promotional price for the winter season.

Taste of home

It had to be the softest opening ever: No sign outside, which can be tricky at night if you are looking for the new Home Plate Bar-B-Que in Beijing's humming Sanlitun district. But fans - lots of them - are apparently following their noses, as we did, passing through wafts of applewood smoke to be greeted by the restaurant staff at the front door.

Which wine with dinner? A pro's view

When choosing a wine to go with a meal, what are you looking for? Of course there are guidelines which people usually follow, such as the common, "red wine with red meat, white wine with white meat (i.e., fish)". However, when it comes down to what wine you serve with a dish, Frederique de Lamothe, director of the Alliance des Crus Bourgeois du Medoc, says: "It's always a question of balance."

Small business is big business

Hotels are now targetting the youngest decision makers in the family, those with the best access to the purse strings. Such international chains as The Ritz-Carlton, Shangri-La Group and Westin have all added new attractions specifically aimed at juvenile consumers.