Online radio a stream of alternative voices

Twenty years ago, most Chinese women were able to moonlight as their family’s tailor. But with grandma’s sewing machine in the antique store and the family’s embroidery needles turned to rust, such teniques are fading from the young generation.

Dog rescue dilemma

Many dog lovers cheered the recent rescue of almost 500 dogs on a truck headed to a slaughterhouse, but the rescue came with a price. Volunteers spent lots of money and sparked a nationwide debate: how much is a dog’s life worth, and did the rescuers have the right to stop the truck?

A survey with standard answers

Residents in some communities in Chaoyang District asked to give standard replies for a culture inspection roused suspicion among the public.

Carmakers’ path to the global stage

To see how this year’s Shanghai Auto Show has grown, just check the guest list: General Motors Chief Executive Officer Dan Akerson, Volkswagen AG’s Martin Winterkorn, Toyota Motor’s Akio Toyoda and Carlos Ghosn, who runs both Renault SA and Nissan Motor.

Hainan duty free trial a success

Hainan’s tax rebate program seems to be a success. Thousands of customers swarmed its new duty-free stores that opened last Wednesday.

The Next Three Days

Though classified as a thriller, The Next Three Days delivers more than canned suspense. The movie keeps you thinking, revealing its details only little by little. Truthfully, it would be better classified as suspense, since the story does a good job of keeping you on the edge of your seat.

Art for life – The city’s best art shops

With each record-breaking price that a piece of Chinese contemporary artwork fetches, art seems to move a little further from the mainstream. But art shops are determined to reverse the auction-house trend and bring art to the public.

Lending a hand – Civil rescue organizations seeing more action

If you were in need – stranded on a mountain, let’s say – who would you call? Who would you trust with your life? The number of emergency calls from remote areas is on the rise, but government rescue organizations are finding themselves inadequately equipped to handle all the cases.

New name brings honor to bodyguards

In the last three years, the need for specialized security workers has grown exponentially with the surge in private wealth. The most popular choice — private security advisors, more commonly called bodyguards — have been in a legal gray area for more than a dozen years.

After crisis, Japan seeks strong diplomatic ties with China

Last weekend, a Japanese delegation led by Tatsuo Sato, the senior nuclear expert and director at the Japanese Atomic Energy Security Infrastructure Agency made the country’s first official visit to China since a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami devastated the country’s northeast last month.