Healthy food is the pursuit of a growing number of city dwellers, keen to spend their hard-earned cash on products that can make them feel better. And though scares in the dairy industry did damage consumer confidence, few drinks have as much goodness as milk - as a result, body-conscious individuals are once again considering its merit. Things are different now. Far from just toe the line, some milk producers are setting high standards on dairy manufacture. After a recent event in the city, METRO heard one company claim to deliver fresh milk and yogurt straight to a customer's door, in no more than 10 hours after exiting the cow's udder. We went to check it out, all the way to Zhangjiakou in Hebei province.
It was an intriguing spectacle for shoppers at Carrefour's Fangzhuang branch last Saturday morning: teams of international and Chinese volunteers clustered at the entrance and exit, handing out flyers and asking shoppers to buy extra food.
Meili Autumn, a Hawaiian makeup artist living in Beijing, knows where she is going in life.
While eating out can sometimes seem just as cheap as cooking at home, we don't always know what additives are going into what we're eating. Thankfully, Beijing has a fantastic range of fresh-produce markets that not only make it healthier and affordable to cook at home, but which make shopping a whole lot of fun. Here are just a few of the best markets around town.
Recent workshop is platform for trade in new media industryThe capital's trendsetters got a lesson from down under in new media music techniques by some of Australia's leading artists over the weekend.
Becoming a perfect pedigree cat breeder can be a hairy ordeal, Huang Yuli discoversWhile one might suspect that pedigree-breeding programs in Beijing between felines and canines are similar in structure, the truth is, they are as different as cats and dogs. Quite unlike METRO's September coverage of the best kennels in Beijing and the discovery that each unit houses more than 100 dogs, catteries are far more exclusive, according to Hong Yan, owner of the Silver Harbor Cattery.
The premature chilly temperatures in recent weeks caught me by surprise, making me think about food to keep warm. I'd like to share with you Four-Element Soup and Sugar Water, known in Chinese as siwu tang and tang shui, which are not only nourishing but also make you feel warm. Both dishes are easy to prepare.
When passers-by marvel at how all the things in Liao Hongbin's shop are second-hand, they actually only see about half the picture.
Designer boutiques, chic Western brands, trendy urban clothing ?Beijing is fast becoming a fashionista's paradise. But unlike the fashion capitals of the West, Beijing has yet to tap into the growing international market for well-made, ethically-produced clothing and accessories. Armed with sleekly-designed messenger bags, Socially Conscious Lifestyle (SCL) Brand is determined to help change the status quo.
With their gaudy music, ramshackle interiors, sometimes rip-off prices and generally touristy feel, Houhai's bars are not always the ideal location for a memorable night out. However, Tao Yao bar is a little different and offers a genuinely nice experience.
Lin Fan has always been an aspiring woman searching for business opportunities.
The China International Fashion Week might just have wrapped up, but luxury fashion brand NE·Tiger is on the prowl to expand in 2011. Wang Wen discovers