Trading places

Few foreigners have heard of Zhangjiakou, an old foreign trade city in northern China, but the name Kalgan might ring a few bells for elderly Russians. Kalgan, in fact, is Zhangjiakou, a city located in the northwest of Hebei Province.

Life Health

A puzzle a day keeps doctor away

BERLIN: There are many things elderly people can do to keep their memories sharp. Sudoku, crossword puzzles and learning a foreign language are examples.

Searching for a silver bullet

Writing and occasional eye contact are the only way 48-year-old Gao Zhonghang can communicate with relatives and doctors, as a rare disease has deprived him of his ability to control the muscles in his mouth. Even swallowing food and drinking water are problematic for him.

ALS can strike anyone, anywhere, any time

One or two people out of every 100,000 develop ALS every year. Men are affected slightly more than women. Although ALS may occur at any age, it is most common in middle-aged and older adults.

IN BRIEF (Page 19)

Life Culture

Master Xu's feats of clay

Xu Xiutang sits at the head of a long table taking the center of an arbor. Behind him is a large leather handbag with a protruding strap. The only thing that looks out of place is the mouth sticking out of the other end. Of course you won't feel strange if you know it is actually a teapot in the shape of a handbag - made of pottery no less.

Collecting scraps of history, one certificate at a time

In the past 150 years China has made huge progress, but you can't tell from the evolution of marriage certificates. Actually, the written testaments of holy matrimony have got less imaginative over the century and a half.

Pour to rich

Ah, the charm of a small city! There are many cities this size in China, but many are nondescript and do not possess distinctive features. Yixing, in East China's Jiangsu Province, suffers from the opposite headache: It has so many resources it can use to promote tourism and it is sometimes at a loss what to highlight.

Life Expat

Global village

And the winners are ...