Recently, visitors to the historic Qianmen Street in Beijing were delighted to find replicas of old trams serving the newly renovated shopping area.
When Liu Xiukun's 14-year-old daughter was awarded a 200-yuan scholarship for her good academic performance, he was understandably proud.
It has been six years since I visited Shanghai. Although I expected to see the country's largest metropolis further transformed in six years, I was still a little surprised at its new skyline, with skyscrapers sort of juxtaposed together to compete for attention.
China has seen a lot of ups and downs in the past three decades but it is the reform and opening up that best defines the period.
When I was young, the policeman who made the deepest impression on me was Ma Tianmin, the hero in a 1959 movie. Always ready to help others, he missed appointments with his fiance so often she almost broke up with him.
Last month, a young woman flew into Shenzhen and took a taxi to her office. She had a dispute with the driver, who drove off with her suitcase.
Many white collar workers in Guangzhou got off on the wrong foot Monday morning, as taxi drivers decided to "take the day off" or "have tea", according to Nanfang Daily.
Shock. Dismay. Pain. No word can describe my feelings at the terror attacks in Mumbai, where I stayed for two nights while covering President Hu Jintao's state visit to India a couple of winters ago.
Most parents with children in primary and middle schools have secretly questioned at least once or twice why they should pay money for some references, extracurricular textbooks or other materials that apparently are of little use in their children's studies.
Three years ago, 3.38 million teenagers went off to college, hoping that higher education would lead to a bright future.
Ask the Internet "When is best time to retire?" in English and you will get more than 1.5 million replies, most of them offering financial advice and warning against early retirement.
My colleagues and I have been enjoying several new restaurants and bars that have been doing brisk business since opening a few years ago on Huixin Dongjie, across the street from the Beijing University of International Business and Trade and next door to China Daily.