Life Travel

Love thy neighbor in this talky town

Many colleagues envy me before the Spring Festival, for it takes only one hour's train ride from Beijing to get back to my hometown, Tianjin.

Skiing the sights

As China's largest ski resort, the training center for the country's Olympic team and host of the Third Asian Games in 1996, Yabuli Ski Resort ups the ante on downhill winter sports.

Life Health

The skinny on star diets

LONDON: Jennifer Lopez sniffs grapefruit oil, Cindy Crawford sips vinegar, Sharon Stone stockpiles the humble prune and Owen Wilson never misses his daily double dose of asparagus and parsley. The diet secrets of America's A-list celebrities have been winkled out of their doctors, nutritionists and trainers and put under the microscope by two authors.

Splish-splash your way to a slimmer waistline

WUPPERTAL, Germany: In 1993, water aerobics were only for senior citizens or patients who needed rehabilitation therapy. Nowadays, it encompasses a variety of trendy underwater sports, all of which are healthy.

Dead animal hearts reanimated

PARIS: In experiments that would make Dr Frankenstein jealous, US scientists have coaxed recycled hearts taken from animal cadavers into beating in the laboratory after reseeding them with live cells, according to a study released Sunday.

IN BRIEF (Page 19)

Life Culture

Pluming fantastic

Joseph and Louis Clerico acquired the Lido in 1946 and about 10 years later bought the Moulin Rouge, transforming them into the famous Paris cabaret. The Clerico family's vision of what cabaret should be and their dinner show format were soon being copied worldwide.

Laughing their way back to the capital

It's not a typo. Shamlet, not Hamlet, will play at the National Center for the Performing Arts (also known as the National Grand Theater) from tomorrow to Sunday. It is not Shakespeare's tragedy but Taiwan director Lee Kuo-shiu and his Ping-Fong Acting Troupe's classic situation comedy.

Picking up the pace

Award-winning director Ma Liwen was overjoyed: "Finally, something spicy has come into my life." A year ago, the renowned writer Liu Zhenyun chose Ma to direct Lost and Found (Wo Jiao Liuyuejin) - a film adapted from his latest novel.