snow fashions a fun feast for the fearless

For a sun-worshipping, heat-loving Australian, one of the few benefits of living in a city where winter temperatures drop way below freezing, is the high probability that your location is somewhere near snow. Beijing is no exception, with ski fields within a few hours drive away. The closest to the city is Nanshan, a simple ski resort consisting of two beginner runs, three intermediate slopes, ...

Awarding the sharp tastebuds for its wine

It is only in recent history that China has been awarding those with sharp tastebuds for its wine, dubbing the first "master spirit tasters" at the 2005 Zhijiang Cup in Yichang, Hubei Province. Zhang Fengguo, recognized as the first master taster in China, shared with the Global Times his techniques in how to rate baijiu, which involves a slightly different approach than red wines. Color and Cl...

Flash-playing

Tweaking the idea of flash-mobs is flash-play, meeting a stranger in an unfamiliar city for the day. Mu Qian explores further This weekend, why not fly to a random city and spend the day with a stranger, part at the end of the day and never see each other again? It sounds like a romantic film, but this is a novel activity for some young urban Chinese called "shanwan", or "flash-play". ...

Pushing the New Year's gift money

When it comes to New Year's gift money, students nowadays are a little savvier about putting that present to work. Instead of letting their money sit in the bank or using it to buy trendy new threads, some students headed for the stock market with the hopes of turning their "little red envelope," or hong bao, into a big golden check. "I've taken some economics courses on stock trading and alway...

Spring Festival spirit can make you feel like to be lifted off the ground in a human wave

I'm not a punk rock fan and it's a little late in life for me to have experienced the dubious joys of a "mosh pit," but here in China I now know what it feels like to be lifted off the ground in a human wave. I was literally walking on air at the Ditan Temple fair, swept up in a crush of happy Spring Festival revelers, both of my feet a few inches off the ground. For a few seconds at least, the...

4000 birds means 140,000 yuan

They say a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, but according to 24-year-old Yang Zejun, 4000 birds can bring in about 140,000 yuan ($20,502) over the Spring Festival holidays. A recent graduate of Sichuan Agriculture University, Yang opened Junhun Agriculture and Livestock Company in Hanchang town, Dayi county, Sichuan Province in 2008. The business was a chance for Yang to finally put h...

online farms

It sounds harmless and quite idyllic: in the online game Farmville players plant strawberries and trees, milk cows and build farm buildings. Farmville is open to members of the social network Facebook and has developed in record time into a mass phenomenon.   Just under 75 million virtual farmers from all over the world make up Farmville's membership and that figure is rising. However, n...

High number of newborns predicted in the New Year

Many couples in China wish to have babies in 2010, or the Year of the Tiger according to the Chinese Zodiac, wanting them to be brave and strong like tigers. The tiger, king of jungle, represents courage, dignity and strength in the Chinese culture. Babies born in this year are nicknamed "tiger babies". Deng Weiping, 32, has been married for six years and his baby is due in a week. "My wife a...

Many people experiencing snowy world in Tong'an Film Studio

Though the weather is not very good during the Spring Festival, it is not stopping an enthusiastic public from experiencing the snowy world in Tong'an Film Studio.   Hundreds of people are expected to come and experience the snowy world in the Tong'an Film Studio every day from the 14th Feb. 2010. "The rain and cold weather add more fun and atmosphere to the 'snowy world' here." a citizen...

Icy rain and snowstorms create chaos for travellers in China

Severe rain and snowstorms may create delays and dangerous road conditions for millions of travellers going home for the Lunar New Year this weekend, China's national meteorological bureau warned Friday. The weeklong Lunar New Year holiday, which begins Saturday, is a time to return home for tens of millions of China's migrant workers who live in the country's cities. Meteorologists urged travel...