Midea takes smart route to success

Company focuses on intelligent tech as it transforms business from manufacturing

Healthy demand for ergonomic furniture

A niche market has developed for ergonomic office furniture in China as white-collar workers who hunch over their desks every day begin to complain about the unhealthy practice.

Coal firms shift in direction to battle slump

From beef sales to online gaming, troubled companies search for alternative opportunities for investment

Exchange proves prime route to main market

China's over-the-counter market, or the New Third Board, has helped small and medium-sized enterprises raise 26.47 billion yuan ($4.07 billion) so far this year, the latest figures from the National Equities Exchange and Quotations reveal.

Evergrande extends a helping hand

Guangzhou-based property giant offers $460m to improve the quality of life for poverty-stricken locals

Hearing loss is a growing problem

Excess workplace noise causes 40 percent of the hearing problems reported in China, according to the country's Occupational Safety and Health Association.

New fund to focus on women's health

South Korean cosmetics group AmorePacific Corp and the China Women's Development Foundation are joining hands to launch a fund to focus on helping women prevent and treat breast and cervical cancer.

IN BRIEF (Page 18)

Playing games and winning

Popular e-sports have plonked China at the peak of a booming global market

Yesteryear's Internet cafes morph into high-tech fun dens

The concept of Internet cafes is striking back with a vengeance rather than crumbling away.

Teenage champs turn millionaire professionals

History suggests every once in a while, teenage prodigies - think tennis ace Boris Becker and chess champ Viswanathan Anand - take the multi-billion-dollar sports-and-games industry by storm, winning adults' titles, raking in millions of dollars and cultivating countless fans.

PC maker rides the wave of e-sports

China's growing appetite for video games is creating a rapidly expanding market for Alienware, a Dell Inc subsidiary that sells high-end gaming hardware products.