Life Health

For vanity or health?

LONDON: If there is one glaring false assumption made by the fitness industry in its attempts to lure us to the nearest gym, it is that we sign up as members purely to get fit and healthy. What really drives those who pay a monthly subscription to these temples of bodily worship is vanity.

GM papaya hints at changing attitudes

After a gap of eight years, the approval for commercialization of genetically modified (GM) papaya in China late last year indicates that the authorities may be taking a more positive attitude toward agriculture biotechnology, says a leading agriculture expert.

Life Art

Celebrating New Year with Lao She

A new exhibition is being held at the old residence of Lao She at the Fengfu Hutong of Dongcheng District in Beijing to mark the 108th birthday of the great writer who wrote extensively about common Chinese people's lives in the first half of the 20th century.

Cartoon heroes race from clutches of the First Emperor

The story of Ying Zheng, the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), has been adapted time and again for both screen and stage. In the last interpretation, this controversial figure is singing Western opera.

Fake it till you make it

Ge You is one of China's biggest movie stars. The 49-year-old thespian has a Best Actor trophy from the prestigious Cannes Film Festival to his name for his powerful performance in the 1994 Zhang Yimou film To Live. Back then he had top billing above Gong Li.

Rise and fall of one of China's most infamous conmen

Li Wancheng, the main character of Lao She's Looking West to Chang'an, is based on the true story of Li Wanming, the most famous conman in China during the 1950s. Li joined the Kuomintang troops before 1949 and was imprisoned once for forgery. With the founding of New China, Li took advantage of this chaotic period and the people's trust in heroes and hid his past to win higher government posts. Eventually he was caught and jailed for three years.

Life Style

Ancient spell of smell

Treat your hair with olive oil before washing it to protect it, say modern beauticians. The ancient Chinese were doing the same thing centuries ago only they used tea oil.

From muted tone to Dior glamor

PARIS: Hedi Slimane offered up a dynamic winter menswear collection for Dior that seemed like a fond teenage memory, wrapping up a week of catwalk shows in the French capital.

Curl up and dye: Allergy to hair coloring on the rise

LONDON: Allergy to hair dye is soaring in numerous countries as more and more young people color their locks, the British Medical Journal (BMJ) warns.