When is a kiwi not a Kiwi?

Contrary to popular belief, the kiwifruit (mi hou tao) is not in fact a Kiwi - that is, it is not native to New Zealand. Instead kiwis originated in China, in the Yangtze River region of the country around Zhejiang province.

Study and you'll live longer: report

WASHINGTON: If you have been contemplating going back to school to get a degree, this might convince you: A study by the Harvard School of Medicine has shown people with a better education live longer.

IN BRIEF (Page 19)

Life Culture

Return of the king

A woman dressed in traditional white robes plays the guqin (ancient stringed instrument) at the side of the stage, on which one actor performs 13 roles without changing costume. The only actress, dressed in a conventional Peking Opera costume, sings in one scene and speaks in the next. And this all happens against the backdrop of an abstract image projected on a white Xuan paper.

Novel show that's nearly pitch perfect

Although The King Mourns is a fresh and complicated presentation, the entire production seems somehow strange, artificial and even laughable in some scenes.

'I have a dream'

Wang Cailing is middle-aged and plump with buck teeth and wrinkled skin. She has sparse hair and eyebrows, and wears a serious, grim expression. Yet this woman has a beautiful voice and dreams of singing at the Paris Opera some day. But in a small city in North China in the early 1980s, Wang encountered one frustration after another.

Life Expat

'When Irish eyes are smiling'

Once a year is St Patrick's Day and "everyone wants to be Irish". Wearing green is in vogue and bar owners dig up shamrocks, made-in-China leprechauns and lure punters with cheap drinks, while playing The Pogues.

Your say

Family pickle

Rhythm, riches and roar of a Celtic tiger

Ireland has capitalized on its cultural heritage like few other countries. For a small place, it has a rich tradition of writers, painters and musicians.

Life Pulse