Shanghai fights to save dying dialect

For 68-year-old Wang Yiran, it is extremely frustrating that she can’t speak to her six-year-old granddaughter in her native Shanghai dialect.

Paralyzed gymnast seeks $1.8 billion in US court

Thirteen years ago, gymnast and gold medalist Sang Lan was seriously injured in New York while preparing for the 4th Goodwill Games. The poor medical care that followed resulted in lifelong paralysis. Losing the use of her torso and legs made a bitter end to her rising sports career.

Local man out to change the way we treat trash

Last week, the Beijing Municipal Administration Committee drafted a household garbage regulation and posted it online (bjrd.gov.cn) to solicit public suggestions. The draft noted that every resident should be responsible for reducing and classifying waste, as well as paying for their own waste disposal.

Population balance tips toward elders – Will the aging demographic impair China’s economy?

The recent national census showed an extreme drop in youth population and forecast workforce shrink to begin as early as 2013. When that day arrives, the country’s reign as the world’s factory – a boom engine of economic growth driven by cheap and ample labor – will be over.

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.

Let’s talk about love

Chinese parents often step in to keep their teens from making friends, falling in love and dating. They believe affairs of the heart will upset their child’s focus on study and destroy their chance of graduating from a famous university and landing a good job.

Art expo woos nation’s talents – Foreign galleries not needed to set trade records

Earlier this month, Zhang Xiaogang’s early 1988 piece titled Forever Lasting Love was sold at auction by Sotheby’s of Hong Kong for HK $79 million (66 million yuan).

AIDS-like disease may be in patients’ mind

The Internet is a lightning rod for victims, creating new communities and support groups for every condition imaginable – and even some that are only imagined.

Spend or save? – Consumers’ reluctance to spend worries world

China makes; the world takes. For decades, the world’s factory has provided endless goods for the rest of the world to buy. But now, if anyone should be scrambling to the mall for a shopping spree, it is the Chinese.