Famous TCM stores in Hangzhou

Huqingyutang in Hangzhou is one of the two extremely famous traditional Chinese medicine stores in China, the other being Tongrentang in Beijing.

Life Travel

Dreams of Angkor Wat become breathtaking reality

Angkor Wat symbolizes the ancient Angkor empire and has been in my mind since I first read about it in geography textbooks at high school. The final scenes in director Wong Kar Wai's romantic film, In the Mood for Love, touched my heart several years ago - with Angkor's dense forests, grand but dilapidated buildings and delicate sculptures.

Trading places

Few foreigners have heard of Zhangjiakou, an old foreign trade city in northern China, but the name Kalgan might ring a few bells for elderly Russians. Kalgan, in fact, is Zhangjiakou, a city located in the northwest of Hebei Province.

Life Health

A puzzle a day keeps doctor away

BERLIN: There are many things elderly people can do to keep their memories sharp. Sudoku, crossword puzzles and learning a foreign language are examples.

Searching for a silver bullet

Writing and occasional eye contact are the only way 48-year-old Gao Zhonghang can communicate with relatives and doctors, as a rare disease has deprived him of his ability to control the muscles in his mouth. Even swallowing food and drinking water are problematic for him.

ALS can strike anyone, anywhere, any time

One or two people out of every 100,000 develop ALS every year. Men are affected slightly more than women. Although ALS may occur at any age, it is most common in middle-aged and older adults.

IN BRIEF (Page 19)

Life Culture

Master Xu's feats of clay

Xu Xiutang sits at the head of a long table taking the center of an arbor. Behind him is a large leather handbag with a protruding strap. The only thing that looks out of place is the mouth sticking out of the other end. Of course you won't feel strange if you know it is actually a teapot in the shape of a handbag - made of pottery no less.

Collecting scraps of history, one certificate at a time

In the past 150 years China has made huge progress, but you can't tell from the evolution of marriage certificates. Actually, the written testaments of holy matrimony have got less imaginative over the century and a half.