Northern highlights

A crystal-clear castle carved from ice. Red-crowned cranes that swim through the skies. White waterfalls frozen in time.

Near Sedona's famed red rocks, a wine trail in Arizona

The famed red rocks of Sedona draw visitors from around the world. But less than half an hour away from Sedona's tourist crowds is an attraction that might surprise out-of-towners: Arizona's Verde Valley Wine Trail, complete with vineyards tucked into volcanic rock and limestone, with grapevines growing within view of the tasting rooms.

After chaotic past, a flemish masterpiece is restored

A painstaking restoration of a 15th-century Flemish masterpiece is revealing the long-lost detail and splendor that helped make the altarpiece one of the world's most stolen artworks.

Belgian author of The Melting creates stir with tale of ice-cold revenge

She's a literary sensation whose debut novel has sold over 100,000 copies, yet unless you speak Dutch you've probably never heard of writer Lize Spit.

Park plays race card

The Yumen National Park swept more than 300 professional runners from home and abroad off their feet in September with its attractions - the Danxia landform, its silicified wood, a volcano and a desert.

West Lake on a plate in conjurings of classic Hangzhou dishes

Only a few minutes' walk from picturesque West Lake is Cheng Zhong Restaurant, where foodiess can enjoy the classic dishes of the Hangzhou area as well as Cantonese-style dim sum. Innovative dishes and dim sum are prepared with local ingredients from Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

Keeping the focus on jewels

While most smart jewelry brands these days are focusing more on technology and less on the jewelry to get ahead in business, a few are still focused on jewelry.

Paris fair shows how Chinese blend tradition with modernity

It was a sense of discovery and learning that recently permeated a room in Paris during a panel discussion about Chinese contemporary design. Held at Asia Now, a rare European fair dedicated to contemporary Asian art, the discussion was anchored around one of the fair's exhibitors Shang Xia - a Chinese contemporary design firm that is co-owned by French luxury house Hermes.

IN BRIEF (Page 18)

Orange power

I've always had trouble facing squishy fruits.

Bite of the week

BEIJING

Ningxia wineries mix high and low tech at harvest time

It's showtime at Changyu Moser XV, the Ningxia chateau operated by China's biggest wine producer. Production at corporate giant Changyu's other facilities across China is vast. Here, the scale is smaller, in a quest to make several wines of serious export quality.