Engineer powering up to change gears

Electric car designer Zhang Xiaochun says his cars not only have the potential to revolutionize the market, but they will benefit low-income earners the most.

Senior officials condemn the housing bubble

Beijing's exorbitant housing prices have come under attack among deputies to the ongoing national legislative meeting, as senior officials opened fire on the bubble in the property market.

Commercial property market will remain sluggish in 2010

Li Wenjie, regional managing director at local real estate agency Centalline Group, shares his thoughts on the commercial property market in Beijing with METRO.

New ruling courts trouble for legal interns

Beijing hukou holders, or Beijing "locals", have long enjoyed job and educational privileges in the capital.

An arduous journey to a Beijing hukou

Both good news and bad news await students returning to Beijing with a postgraduate degree from overseas universities.

6 ways to get the vital document

1) New graduates can try to find jobs with the national ministries or State-owned enterprises, which typically offer a hukou to their hires. Unfortunately, it's not easy to land those jobs. Successful applicants must excel in many rounds of exams and interviews. However, the trade-off with accepting the job might be a 5- or 10-year contract. The penalty for breaching those contracts is high.

Spring time in bike lane

Ever since the first snow, which came the end of October, marked the beginning of an early winter in Beijing, I've been asking when spring will come. On Monday, I woke up again to a blanket of white in the garden and the swishing sound of brooms sweeping pavement, my hopes for an early spring dashed.

Matchmaking moms need to let go

Spring Festival is the time for family reunions in China since long ago. But nowadays, many young people choose to stay in Beijing instead of going home for the festival. The reason may sound weird: to escape their mothers' "date and marriage" push.

Culture is used as excuse for failed marriage

On Why foreigners date Chinese women?

Quotation of the day

Bagging the best at market

For locals and foreign residents in the know culinary heaven can be found among the choice pickings at Xinyuanli shops.

Produce market has fresh fruit appeal

Diners tired of the same old apples, oranges and watermelon after Chinese meals can venture to the south Fourth Ring Road to procure exotic fruits at wholesale prices.