Deserted in the desert

We'd planned to visit the desert. We didn't expect to stumble into a live film set - let alone a dust-bowl cradle-turned-graveyard of dead shooting sites.

Sleep on the other side of big screen

A new movie-themed hotel enables fans to stay overnight in their favorite flicks.

Georgia rolls out red carpet for Chinese visitors

A cradle of red wine, unique culture, gourmet food, ancient churches and hospitable people, Georgia is hoping to attract more Chinese to savor its diverse charms.

'Midwife to the dying'

While big names in Italian literature, such as Italo Calvino and Umberto Eco, are known to some Chinese, the other Italian writers seem to find little mention in this country. The same is perhaps true about an average Italian's knowledge of Chinese literature, unless the author is Nobel-winner Mo Yan or someone with an international profile.

Prince anchors memoir to early memory

Prince announced he's writing his memoir, told the audience he was leaving to change clothes and came back to perform songs for the feverish New York City crowd.

Timely guide to antique clocks

A former musician, who published a ready reference for Chinese collectors of old timepieces, is writing his new book on the Western influence on Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) clocks and watches. Wang Kaihao reports.

Gormley gives his audience a lot to chew on

In less than a minute, Antony Gormley creates his latest sculpture in front of a full house of teachers and students who attend his lecture at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, on a recent night.

Savor the bites of spring

On restaurant tables around China, there is a new freshness awaiting diners whether their tastes look to the East or to the West, Mike Peters and Xu Junqian report.

Paprika power 

Playing with ink

Zhu Xinjian's figure paintings are being exhibited in Beijing alongside a book on the late artist's works, Deng Zhangyu reports.

Famous private art collections on show in Italy

From Wassily Kandinsky to Jackson Pollock, the extraordinary impact collectors Peggy and Solomon Guggenheim had on 20th-century art is celebrated by an exhibition that opened in Florence on Saturday.

Ring that may be Joan of Arc's now in France

A ring thought to belong to France's most famous historical martyr, Joan of Arc, was unveiled on Sunday at a theme park, even as historians remained skeptical about its authenticity.