How to choose the best

Rub two pearls together; if they feel smooth and not gritty, they may be fake. Look at pearls on a white surface under natural light and examine their size, luster, imperfection, and orient the technical term for the kind of iridescence found in the best pearls. Fluorescent lights are bad for judging pearls.

Bigger, better: China flexes its mussels

One morning earlier this month, a group of farmers took an American professor pearl harvesting in the Shanxiahu area of Zhuji, Zhejiang Province, some 250 kilometers south of Shanghai.

A pearl of a find

At 5 pm last Monday, after spending eight hours comparing silvery, pinkish, golden and green-hued pearls, I was becoming dizzy. But I was determined to find a present for my mother for her birthday.

Life Travel

Inside the tears shed

When the bright moon climbs up the eastern mountain peak, The smiling face of Makye Ame from back of my mind looms up

Rome woos Chinese tourists

Both Beijing and Rome are popular tourist destinations and cities with a strong and varied cultural heritage. This provides a basis for more exchange programs in tourism, cultural protection and restoration, the mayor of Rome said during his recent visit to China.

Angkor Wat creaking under weight of tourism

SIEM REAP, Cambodia: Khun Sokha looks on while camera flashes pop in the pre-dawn haze, as hundreds of tourists perch along the outer wall of Cambodia's Angkor Wat waiting to catch that moment when the sun rises over the temple's distinctive towering spires.

Life Health

Letting off steam

Recently, Wang Shuo, a popular Chinese novelist and known as something of a rebel, took his 79-year-old mother to participate in the late night CCTV show Psychology Interview. The novelist has been in the media spotlight this year for his celebrity bashing.

When teen defiance is a cry for more attention

Owing to an arm injury, 14-year-old Jia Ning had to take rest at home for a few days. However, even after he had recovered fully, he refused to go to school for almost a month, despite his mother's repeated pleas. His behavior left his mother confused and sad that her son once high-performing son had suddenly taken an aversion to studies.

Grandmom can be fun but only mom knows best

MUNICH: Grandfathers can tell wonderful stories and grandmothers often like to read to their grandchildren and let them help bake cookies in the kitchen.

Healthy diet the only antidote for gluten woes

STUTTGART: Everyone gets the feeling they've eaten too much occasionally. But those pains and swelling are constant for people with an autoimmune disorder called coeliac disease.