Salud! – sorta

A CCTV investigation recently stunned local red wine buyers. In Changli County, Hebei Province, some wine factories were producing fake wine using water, food coloring, alcohol and essence. All the products had labels of big overseas producers. More than 400,000 cases of such wines were put into the Chinese market last year.

Five years in, country still fails to control tobacco

When China signed on to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in 2006, it made a pledge to halt smoking in indoor public places and workplaces by January 9, 2011. Sunday is the deadline of that forgotten pledge.

China enters era of Golden Misses – ‘Leftover women’ call for a break

With two years left before 30, Geng fears every night that she might soon find herself among the ranks of China’s shengnü. Loosely translated as “leftover woman,” the term refers to a woman the world expects to have already wed.

NGOs shortage of talents, money makes missions impossible

Many expect that they will play an important role in promoting social justice, progress and distribution of wealth. But these new purveyors of goodwill and relief are struggling to balance their budgets and attract qualified professionals.

Dreams of higher education – School’s model helps neglected migrant students succeed

Rapid urbanization has brought some 400,000 migrant children to the capital. But for this group, getting an education remains an uphill battle.

For the culturally curious – Young hostellers show off their cities’ culture

Youth Hostels in China, though still few in number, have grown rapidly during the last decade. Since the first opened in Guangzhou in 1998, the number of Chinese hostels has grown to 164. Among these, 14 are in Beijing.

Flooded with alien labor

They pay human traffickers or sneak by themselves across the border. They come without proper work permits, hoping to find higher wages and better support their families.

Thinkers meet to build start-ups at iWeekend

Many people are like Ada Li, a 38-year-old former software developer at Sun Microsystems who says she has interesting ideas all the time. However, Li said she never expected one of her ideas to become a feasible business plan.

Grassroots rescue team will not be neglected – China’s first private emergency response unit accepted by gov

After applying for recognition by the Ministry of Civil Affairs for two years, the China Blue Sky Emergency Rescue Team, a grassroots rescue force, was accepted by the government last month.

Publishers tap fans to translate pop fiction

Fan translators have long been famous for their zero-day subtitles of American television shows. Now they are expanding to the publishing industry.