CCTV presents series on people and nature

China's first high-definition documentary series reflecting the relationship between people and nature on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is being shown on China Central Television on Wednesday night.

Lauren Bacall's life possessions on sale

Everything but the kitchen sink would be one way to describe the staggering array of possessions owned by Lauren Bacall that go under the hammer in New York next week.

Game of Thrones original writer won't let pressure rush him

George R.R. Martin has been feeling the heat to finish The Winds of Winter, the long-awaited sixth novel in his best-selling series, A Song of Ice and Fire, but he is not letting the pressure rush his writing.

Toward cinema city

Beijing International Film Festival is working to cement its place as a major Asian event. Wang Kaihao reports.

Backpacking trip leads actor to role

If Ryan Reynolds hadn't gone backpacking in Europe in the late 1990s, he might have never ended up co-starring with Helen Mirren in the film Woman in Gold.

A carnival for foodies

A market in Yunnan offers an array of treats ranging from the province's famed mushrooms, to creepy snake fruits and rice crisps. Mike Peters writes.

Coming Up Roses

Fungi fun

More than 600 types of mushrooms are found in Yunnan province, including about 25 famous edible species found across the entire province. Many will appear during the upcoming rainy season in late spring; harvesting trips combine nice hikes with tasty rewards.

Kunming's 1910 'station' boasts century-old charm

It's a Sunday afternoon in Kunming, the provincial capital of Yunnan, and warm weather has drawn a crowd to the outdoor dining deck of 1910 La Gare du Sud.

Murder, he wrote

How does a professor go about sketching the lead character of his crime thrillers? Xing Yi finds out. Xing Yi

Book on the country's last monkey trainers

Chinese photographer Ma Hongjie traveled across China for more than a decade documenting the lives of people who train monkeys for roadside shows, once a popular form of entertainment in China, but now on the decline.

Rare Tennessee Williams story published for first time

As she takes in the despair of her in-laws' one-room apartment in A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche Dubois exclaims: "Only Poe! Only Mr Edgar Allan Poe could do it justice!"