Snapshots

Watching from afar: Qian Dehui, a military medical worker who was sent to Liberia in October to help deal with the Ebola outbreak, watches his son through a video chat after his wife gave birth to the boy in Chongqing on Nov 22. "It is a lifetime regret not to be there, but we soldiers are meant to be on the front line," he said. Chen Cheng / Xinhua

In the blinking of an eye: A child at a blank-stare competition in Chongqing on Nov 23. More than 200 contestants, the youngest only 5, took part. A college student won the top prize, an iPhone 6, by holding out for four hours. The game, which originated in South Korea, encourages people to live a slower-paced life. Ran Wen / China Daily

Fare thee well, comrade: Xie Leping, a retired soldier, bids farewell to his old partner, police dog Black Bear, in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, on Nov 21. Li Ke / for China Daily

Mechanical service: A restaurant that deploys several robots as Mandarin-speaking "waitresses" is attracting many customers in Ningbo, Zhejiang province. Guo Jikai / for China Daily

Chocolate warriors: About 300 miniature Terracotta Warriors, made from Belgian chocolate and wearing Santa hats, on display in a hotel in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, on Nov 23. Bakers combined Chinese history with Christmas decorations. Jiao Hongtao / Xinhua