Homecoming hangover?

There's no place like home - or at least that's what many expats in China believe. But upon returning to their native soil, repatriates often find home just isn't the same place they left, and they're not the same people who once lived there. "Reverse culture shock", or "re-entry transition stress", is often more severe and emotionally intense than culture shock, explains Dr Christopher Deal, president of Los Angeles, California-based consulting firm Deal Intercultural.

Thomas dreams of a fortunate night life

If Zhongguo translates as country in the middle, then Thomas Willie (pictured right) could well mean, man in the center. The multilingual Indonesian-born nightclub sales manager is fluent in Chinese, English and Bahasa and often holds court among a coterie of international friends.

Five ways to avoid a crash landing

Dr Nan Sussman, president of international HR and cultural-training company Global Strategies, offers five tips on successful repatriation.

Global Village

Memories of a lifetime

Life Travel

Privacy, relaxation and service that'll rub you the right way

Spa services have grown in popularity over the last few years. Even in the small community residence where I live in Beijing, there are five beauty salons that provide spa services. Though spas are mushrooming in every corner of the city, it was still a taboo for me.

Swimming in song

It is a little surprising to see the tourism scene flourishing in Zhaoxing, a small town located at the joint area of Southwest China's Guizhou Province, Central China's Hunan Province and South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Life Health

Brilliant accident may lead to cure

PARIS: Brain cells damaged by obesity may contribute to Type 2 diabetes, a disease that is spreading at epidemic rates, according to a study released last Wednesday.

Smoking gun that's aimed at passive puffers

Exposure to passive smoking is linked to increased prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and this association could cause 1.9 million deaths among non-smokers in China, according to a study published in this week's edition of The Lancet.

Double dose of hope

The largest-ever study of diabetes treatments has found that a fixed combination of two blood-pressure-lowering drugs reduces the risk of heart and kidney diseases, and death among patients. Results from the ADVANCE (Action in Diabetes and Vascular Disease) Study were presented on Sunday at the European Congress of Cardiology in Vienna.

IN BRIEF (Page 19)