Frosting on the cake

Marie Antoinette probably never uttered the phrase so often attributed to her: Let them eat cake.

For French baker, China is all about love and loaves

French native Jean-Pierre Morel, now in his 50s, has loved the smell of baking since he was a little boy. At the age of 16, he became an apprentice at a bakery in Paris. When he was 24, he opened his first bakery, and now has three independent bakeries in the French capital.

Pizza noir

Capital Sounds

When singer-songwriter Marie-Claude Lebel arrived in Beijing in 2002, she was heartbroken.

Pitbull back with bite on second China tour

US rapper Pitbull's last show in Beijing two years ago was a huge hit with fans and now the hip hop artist is set to return.

Mraz returns with cosmic sounds, new friends

Jason Mraz is returning to China with a show he promises will be "very cosmic".

Ciao, Macao

Alatecomer to the Maritime Silk Road's history and lore, Macao made up for lost time quickly because of the 16th-century arrival of the Portuguese.

Museums put ramen on a culinary pedestal

There are two kinds of ramen in this world. There's the packaged staple of dorm-room cuisine, one of the most processed, industrialized foods ever invented. And then there's the trendy, artisanal, handmade soup that fans line up for hours to try.

Sports star gets model makeover

Lin Dan is best known as the invincible "Super Dan" on the badminton court, but he is also pretty fierce in a designer suit.

Finnish fur stays fashion forward

Pertti Fallenius, CEO of Saga Furs, a leading fur auction house based in Finland, recently came to Beijing to promote the company's corporate social responsibility report 2013.

IN BRIEF (Page: 22)

Fashion designer Victoria Beckham visited Puyi Optical in Beijing last week to promote her new collection of sunglasses called the Classic Victoria Aviator. In bold colors like green, orange, pink and yellow, the glasses reflect her own sense of style. The collection also incorporates luxury materials in gold and platinum. They cost from 5,100 yuan ($820) to more than 10,000 yuan.

Dress codes