China's first lady steals the spotlight

China's glamorous first lady has become a media and Internet sensation as she accompanies husband President Xi Jinping on his first state visit to Russia.

Photographs of Ms Peng and Mr Xi have been plastered across the front pages of state media, which usually do not focus on the country's first ladies.

Ms Peng was even shown briefly arm-in-arm with Mr Xi in a public display of affection rare among the communist leadership.

"Since yesterday this has become the main topic of discussion for people," said Li Jun, a commentator with a...

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The wife of the new Chinese president, Xi Jinping, is getting a lot of media attention  and has many fans. Some believe she may change the image people have of the country.

Rich find spirit of generous giving

China's rich showed increasing enthusiasm about making big donations to the nonprofit sector and most of their donations, including pledges, went to universities in 2012, according to a new report.

Last year saw charitable gifts of 4.9 billion yuan (S$978 million, US$787 million) and pledges of 60 billion yuan from the country's top 100 individual donors, according to the China Philanthropy Research Institute of Beijing Normal University.

The total value was five times that of the previous year, it said.

Huang Nubo, chairman of Beijing Zhongkun Investment Group, a private company, topped the list as the most...

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Wealthy Chinese people are helping to support universities through donations. What kind of organization would you support if you were to make a donation?

The journey home begins for millions

Every year, at this time, millions of Chinese embark on the world's biggest travel rush - the trek home.

With joy, or possibly frustration after toiling for the past year, a huge proportion of the population will set out on a journey of reunion for the country's most important holiday - Spring Festival.

Possibly as many as a billion people will shuttle between the cities where they live and work and their hometowns for the holiday.

To ensure the smooth running of the world's largest annual migration, extra travel services are being organised from Jan 26 until...

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Between January and March, about 3 billion people are expected to return home for the a very important Chinese holiday, Spring Festival. The stories of five travelers helps us understand how people celebrate.

First subway to cross Yangtze opens

The nation's first subway to cross the Yangtze River started running in Wuhan, the capital of Central China's Hubei province, at 10 am on Friday.

Trains take only three minutes to run under the country's longest waterway. They have an average speed of 36 km per hour, with 26 trains scheduled to run every six minutes.

Wuhan subway's Line 2, which links the city's two major downtown areas - Wuchang and Hankou - spans 27.73 km and has 21 stations. It takes about 50 minutes for trains to travel the line.

The line is expected to move 500,000 passengers a day, half of the city's cross-Yangtze traffic flow, and...

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Another engineering wonder...

China tightens internet rules

China has approved strict new rules that require internet users nationwide to provide real-name identification, state media reported.

The National People's Congress (NPC), the country's legislature, adopted the measures at a meeting on Friday, the official Xinhua news agency and other media said.

According to Xinhua, the decision, which came at the end of a five-day session of the NPC Standing Committee, requires internet users to offer their...

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Do you think access to the Internet should be monitored? Governments around the world are trying to manage the use citizens make of this technology. In China, there are more than 500,000,000 Internet users and the Chinese government has approved a new system of identification for Internet use.

Japan's incoming PM pledges to mend ties with China

Japan's incoming premier on Saturday pledged to seek a thaw in ties with China after a report said he will send a special envoy on a fence-mending mission to Beijing.

Ties between Japan and China have become increasingly strained over a disputed island chain -- the Tokyo-controlled Senkakus, which Beijing calls the Diaoyus -- with neither side willing to budge after months of bitter wrangling.

"I want to make efforts to return to the starting point of developing the mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests," Shinzo Abe told reporters.

"The Japan-China relationship is one of extremely important bilateral ties," he said.

The comments came after the business daily Nikkei reported Abe will...

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Shinzo Abe has become the Prime Minister of Japan, again. One of his priorities is to promote relations with China. A special group from the Japanese government will visit Beijing with the hopes of reopening mutually beneficial dialogue.

Beijing to allow visa-free transit trips

China will allow transit passengers from 45 countries including the US, Canada and most members of the EU to spend up to 72 hours in Beijing without a visa from next month.

The move would "strongly spur the development of the tourism industry, speed up building of an international city (and) expand contacts with the rest of the world," the Beijing Tourism Administration said on its website.

The policy only applies to travellers in transit to a third country, and not for return flights to the capital, whose attractions include the vast Forbidden City.

Eligible nationalities include the United States, Canada, most European Union countries, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, South Korea, Japan and the United Arab Emirates.

One noted omission was Norway which is embroiled in...

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It is going to become easier to visit Beijing in the new year. China is hoping to boost tourism and the economy by allowing transit travelers to spend up to 3 days in the city without a visa.

China's economic targets

Judging by China's recent performance, Hu Jintao's target might be seen as easily achievable. It implies economic growth of about 9.6% a year, which is rather less than the average over the last three decades. But that growth was based on some elements that can't last indefinitely.

In common with many emerging countries, China's economic success has involved a rapid increase in the number of industrial workers, many of them moving from rural to urban areas. There is a limit to that process, and China might be close to it already. Very high levels of investment have also been important, but they are not seen as sustainable.

There is also the central role that exports have played in China's growth. The uncertain outlook in many rich country markets casts a shadow over that too. Most economists think the transition that's needed is to an economy driven much more by...

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An important government meeting is taking place in Beijing. Leaders are trying to make plans that will improve the living standard for the population. What do you think it would take to improve your life? More money? A secure future?

Chinese city seeks to cash in on Nobel win

A Chinese city hopes to cash in on the success of its most famous resident, Nobel Literature Prize winner Mo Yan, by investing millions in a tourist zone dedicated to the writer, Chinese media said Thursday.

Gaomi, a city in eastern China's Shandong province, will invest $107 million in projects to honour Mo Yan, who has set most of his gritty stories of Chinese peasant life in the area, the Beijing News reported.

The city will build a "Mo Yan Culture Experience Zone", and plant 650 hectares (1,600 acres) of red sorghum, a type of grain.

"Red Sorghum" is the title of the author's best-known work, a 1987 novella set amid the...

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Mo Yan was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. He has become the focus of a lot of attention. His books are selling out and the government is planning to create a tourist spot that is dedicated to his work. What do you think a Haruki Murakami Theme Park would be like?

Chinese author Mo Yan wins Nobel literature prize

Chinese writer Mo Yan won the 2012 Nobel prize for literature for works which combine "hallucinatory realism" with folk tales, history and contemporary life grounded in his native land.

Mo, who grew up in Gaomi in Shandong province in the north-east of the country and whose parents were farmers, sets his works mainly in China.

The prize, awarded by the Swedish Academy, is worth 8 million crowns ($1.2 million).

Mo told Chinese media he was delighted to...

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Mo Yan is the second Chinese author to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. It sounds like he has a very interesting writing style.

New rules for Sina Weibo users in China take effect May 28

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Chen gives China first ever 20km walk gold

Chen Ding won China's first ever men's Olympic 20 kilometres walk title and first ever medal in the event here on Saturday coming home in a time of 1 hour 18 minutes 46 seconds.

The 19-year-old beat home Guatemalan Erick Barrondo, who gave his country their first ever Olympic medal in any sport, while another Chinese walker, Wang Zhen, was third.

Defending champion Valeriy Borchin of Russia collapsed and lay distressed against a barrier within two kilometres of the finish while he was in fourth place and had to be stretchered away by medical staff.

Japan's Asian champion Yusuke Suzuki set the...

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China wins two golds, tops Olympic standings

China maintained its lead in the gold medal standings after the 2nd day of competition, winning golds in the women's 10-meter air pistol and the women's synchronized three-meter springboard diving competition. That raised China's gold medal total to six.

In second place is the United States, which also won two golds on Sunday, bringing its total to three.
American shooter Kimberly Rhode hits her target during the women's skeet shooting competition. (VOA - P. Brewer)
American shooter Kimberly Rhode won the women's skeet competition, making her the first U.S. athlete to win an individual sport medal in five consecutive Olympic Games.

 “It’s overwhelming. Every emotion is hitting me all at once right now. I know that when I was on Station 6 [and realized that I had won the gold], it was all I could do to keep from crying. It was just incredible. I didn't think it would be...

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