When a hutong helps bring back memories

During the Spring Festival this year, Wang Wei, 37, drove for two hours with her husband and 10-year-old son from their villa in northern Beijing to a narrow hutong near Niujie Mosque, to join in her family in celebrating the traditional festival. It's a 20-square-meter house in a courtyard, where her parents live. Her younger brother, Wang Ran, 32, who works for an Internet company in Beijing, also came back to the house with his family to join in the dinner.

Okra heads south

High-flying Beijing chef Max Levy tests the waters in Hong Kong with a proven approach, Mike Peters reports.

When life gives you lemons, make lemon chicken

When in London for the Lunar New Year week, I met an old friend in Chinatown: lemon chicken.

Chinese eating less salt, but still too much

Salt intake has been on the decline in China since 2000, but it currently is still nearly twice the amount recommended by the World Health Organization, a new study said on Tuesday. Published in the US journal Jama, the study was based on total diet surveys in 2000, and from 2009-2011 in 12 of China's 31 mainland provinces, covering at least 46 percent of the Chinese population.

One hot martini

Love of machines

American engineer reluctantly takes up a job at a Chinese company and is happily surprised, report Zhang Li in Nanning and Liu Xiangrui in Beijing.

Designer draws inspiration from empress dowager

Indian-born designer Bibhu Mohapatra, who has dressed Michelle Obama and Gwyneth Paltrow, unveiled a stunning fall/winter collection in New York inspired by one of the most important women in Chinese history.

Reality-show singer to bring soulful voice to Beijing

Standing against a red door, Yuan Yawei pulls her hair over one shoulder and flashes a wide smile. The warm afternoon sun makes her happy. Dressed in a white sweater and tight jeans, she giggles while posing in a narrow hutong (alley) of downtown Beijing.

Big-screen bonanza

This year's record box-office takings - 3.61 billion yuan - over the Spring Festival holiday is due mainly to three blockbusters - Stephen Chow's Mermaid, Cheang Pou-soi's The Monkey King 2 and Wong Jing's The Man from Macao III. Xu Fan reports.

New TV series based on Gu Long classic

For Western readers with an interest in Chinese martial arts novels, Gu Long ranks alongside Louis Cha.

Deadpool dominates North America

Superhero movie Deadpool dominated the North American box office on its debut weekend, taking in a record-breaking $152 million (991 million) and leaving its competitors in the dust, industry estimates showed Tuesday.

Of moon and mountain

A Chinese musician's effort is driving chorus singing online and in the real world, Chen Nan reports.