Think twice on early retirement
[2009-08-13 07:45]On a recent trip to Hubei province, I had a happy reunion with cousins whom I had not seen for years. Despite the excitement at seeing each other, I detected a sense of aimlessness in some of my cousins. They are only in their late 40s or early 50s, but a few have already retired and others face retirement in a couple of years.
In search ofroots inlost history
[2009-07-30 07:49]A recent ceremony at the Shanghai Library marked the completion of a comprehensive catalogue of genealogies of Chinese families.
A bird shows how climate is changing
[2009-07-16 07:51]Dressed in kasaya, the dark red robe of a Buddhist monk, Tashi Sang'e stood out among some 1,500 conservationists from all over the world. It took him three days to travel from his home in Qinghai province to Beijing to attend the annual conference of the Society for Conservation Biology.
Xinjiang: A history of intertwined ethnic ties
[2009-07-09 07:45]Nine years ago, I had a chance to ride along the northern rim of the Tarim basin, cut cross the Tianshan Mountains, and pass through the southern rim of the Turban basin in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.
When will all schools be equal?
[2009-07-02 07:47]Sales of existing homes are booming in China. In Beijing alone, some 100,000 units have been sold already this year, double the number in all of 2008.
Embracing a world of variety
[2009-06-25 07:19]A lot of Angela Chang fans were upset by my June 11 column, in which I wrongly attributed the song Invisible Wings to Zhang Liangying, 25, a Sichuan singer who rose to stardom three years ago on the Chinese version of American Idol.
Test topics reflect writing problems
[2009-06-11 07:54]"Have you given any thought to 'Invisible Wings'?" my father asked on Saturday evening, shortly after 7.5 million college applicants finished the first day of their college entrance examinations.
Creativity best way to stop plagiarism
[2009-06-04 08:08]Recently a Chinese blogger discovered two academic theses that had been published online with the same research structure, the same wording, and almost the same title, inciting thousands of Internet users to join in condemning plagiarism.
Still more to do after a year's plastic bag ban
[2009-05-28 07:52]My husband's aunt, who lives in Hong Kong, hosted a family dinner in Beijing earlier this month and gave each family a reusable bag.
Preemptive quarantine a better answer
[2009-05-21 08:20]The news about the spread of A(H1N1) influenza is becoming more disturbing, with the number of patients rising sharply in Japan.
Smaller classrooms, safer students
[2009-05-14 07:39]For the past few days, pictures of school emergency drills have been everywhere on TV. As the alarm bell rings, children stand up and file out of their classrooms into the corridor, down the stairs, out of the building, and onto the sports ground.
Traffic foes ruin trips to scenic spots
[2009-05-07 07:40]For several days before the May Day (Labor Day) weekend, local television featured a lot of scenic sites in the rural suburbs of Beijing.
