Millions they wrote

Beijing bookworm Yang Yalian takes great pleasure in collecting autographed copies of best-selling books. "Buying the right books is as hard as making friends with the right people," Yang said. "Once I hit upon a delicately made book that not only arrests my eyes but also wins my heart, I develop an emotional attachment with it and its author.

Life Style

Glittering minds think outside the jewelry box

Lauren Crowell loves to sculpt and paint.

Jonny Apple seed

Jonathan Ive was onstage, lovingly dismantling an iBook laptop in front of an audience of enraptured designers. For more than an hour, he handled the object, describing the journey of its creation, revealing the elegant necessity of every curve, hinge and surface.

Life Travel

Somewhere over the rainbow

Xu Xiaomin journeys to Shangri-La in Yunnan Province to witness its natural charm and unique ethnic culture

Life Health

Chinese standards for instant beauty

Doctor Xia Yang from Beijing Shijitan Hospital has practised cosmetic surgery for almost 15 years and said the nip and tuck trend began about a decade ago.

Nip/tuck reality cuts to the bone

Sha Sha is a postgraduate student at a prestigious university and her academic performance is outstanding but her "ordinary looks" have haunted her all her life.

Face off for the celebrity obsessed

The nip-tuck craze has crossed the sexual divide and more men are going under the knife for surprising reasons.

Keeping your cool inside

Beijing is getting sick. The recent drop in temperature and blustery winds in Beijing have led to a spike in cold and flu infections.

TCM to the rescue

If you are feeling the affects of flu or a common cold, you could think about turning to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), in addition to drinking hot water and getting some rest.