The Insider＇s Guide to Beijing 2005-2006

SO, you're new to Beijing. Will you be living here for a while, or are you just passing through? Perhaps you haven't decided yet. In any case, you must determine which visa best suits your purpose, whether it be to travel, work, visit with a view to working, or study; also how to apply, extend and change your visa. If you have a job here, either at a Chinese work unit or foreign company, you should know about the available medical services, how to go about opening a bank account and the rami…     

Lower Carbon,Higher Profil

DO you know the six good habits that will help reduce your carbon footprint at the dinner table, or the 50 roles that will enable you to lead a low-carbon life？ The answers are available from a green-committed group on the Chinese online community Douban （http：//www. douban.com）： they welcome their visitors with an earnest ＂Are you going lowcarbon today？＂     

A Remote Handshake

TV shows on Chinese classics gain popularity among young generation If you have a chance to talk with a historical figure, who would you like it to be? What would you like to know about the past or share from today? China in the Classics, a new TV show based on Chinese classics started by China Central Television (CCTV) in February, is exploring such premises.     

Visiting the Birthplace of the Hulusi—Lianghe

<正>Hegel once said: Music is an art of mood that focuses directly on the emotions.To become acquainted with a place or a people,we may begin by getting to know its musical instruments. Lianghe County,located in the Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan Province,is the birthplace of the hulusi -the calabash flute.The sound of the hulusi is soft,fine,mellow and pastoral,evocatively leading you to the county of its birth-Lianghe.     

All That Glitters

The growth of a global leader in the artificial gem business Mention the name Wuzhou and few people outside of China will know where, or even what you are talking about. The city, in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is little known beyond the borders of the world's most     

Dreamless Sleep and Bye Bye Beijing Belly——The TCM Route to Senior Health

HAVING entered the penultimate of Shakespeare’s seven ages of man,or in my case,woman,I find that hitting 60 and official old age sparks a general reevaluation of what constitutes enjoyment and a sense of well-being.The saying you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone truly hits home with the realization that life without physical fitness is a weary,worrisome trudge.Consequently good health,along with gray hair in recession,     

Heroism Without Borders

If you didn’t know that you were in the David H. Koch Theater in New York, you would think you had been transported to a village in ancient China, thanks to the ambience. Gently undulating mountains, hazy as though they were seen through a mist stood sentinel at the back while a giant branch, with flowers slowly dropping down to the accompaniment of melodious flute music formed the foreground.     

Real Talk on Real Estate

What's hot and what's not in China's property market The Beijing 2008 Olympics is a giant magnet for real estate investment, but how far-reaching is its pull? Is it a good time to buy real estate in second-tier cities? And could a bal- looning worldwide real estate bubble have ramifications for China? Inquiring minds want to know the answers to all these questions in real estate circles. Experts may not always answer harmoniously, but unless you have a villa empire, their advice could help you conquer this tricky market more successfully. No bubble in Beijing or beyond The Olympic effect will cause real     

The Year of the Rat

Do you know what your Chinese sign of the zodiac is? According to the Chinese lunar calendar,every year corre- sponds to one of twelve animals(rat,ox,tiger,rabbit,dragon, snake,horse,sheep,monkey,rooster,dog and pig)and these animals are used to identify years. After the Lunar New Year in 2008 we enter the rat year. All those born in 1996,1984,1972.1960,1948,1936 or 1924, also have a rat as their sign.     

A Special Zone for Highly Skilled Workers Drives Changchun’s Development

He is a man of genius. Do you know what that means? It means he is brave, profound, and of clear insight. He plants a tree and his mind travels a thousand years into the future, and he sees visions of the happiness of the human race.     

Getting Ready to Invest in China Facets of China(Ⅳ)

Time was, not long ago, that one of the worst things you could do was to send faxes or letters to Chinese organizations. Either you didn't get through, or there was no reply.Going on the Web has made life a lot easier. Many Chinese commercial organizations have excellent websites from which you can get a great deal of information.     

Getting Catty In Hong Kong

正There is a lot to love about Hong Kong.For a city so well known around the world,it is actually an endearingly provincial place once you get to know it.Nightly news headlines range from the latest high-level talks     

Love at First Sight

正If you rent an apartment in Beijing,you also rent the landlord or landlady for at least a year.It is somewhat like getting hitched,so it’s important you fi nd a good match because you have to deal with them in the long term.For me,it was love at first—or at least second—sight with the elderly couple who owns my apartment.It was quite an odyssey trying to fi nd the right apartment when I fi rst arrived in Beijing     

MyHappy Place

正You know you’re in a fun palace when the subway elevator walls are decorated with plastic cutouts of cartoon characters loved the world over.There is also something electric in the energy of a crowd that rushes in childlike wonder to the entrance of expectation.     

Beijing by Bus

Now visitors can hop on a luxury bus and seethe capital's sites in style Getting to know a city when you onlyhave limited time can be tricky.Especially a city the size of Beijing.Now, in keeping up with interna-tional trends visitors to the capital can hopon a bus and get an hour-long ride.     

The Joy of Eating and Its Social Ramifications

When Chinese people meet, rather than remark on the weather they generally ask, “Have you eaten？” It is a question less frequently asked of neighbors and colleagues than the more global, “How are you？” Yet “Have you eaten ？” is still the first greeting that the majority of Chinese people utter when they meet someone they know. Implicit in it is the Chinese appreciation of food and gratitude for its abundance.     

Fantasy and Reality

"When it comes to China,you can never know enough."These were the words inscribed on the first page of the booK Law and Society in Traditional China,given to me by a fellow student Tan Bo-Chen,on day one of my year at Peking University back in September 2016.Over the past few years,I have slowly come to understand the depth of meaning in this phrase about such a culturally unique and historically great civilization.The more time I spend in China,and indeed the more I know about China,the less I seem to comprehend it This country is absolutely fascinating:There is a mismatch between past and present;tradition and modernity;fast pace and slow pace;cities and mountains.     

LETTERS

At the request of you, our readers, this year we are introducing a Letters to the Editor column. We value your comments on our layout, content and pictures, and your views on all aspects of China. [We reserve the right to edit for content, clarity or length.]If your letter or e-mail is published, you receive a gift!     

Legal-Ease The Sarbanes-Oxley Act''''s Implications fof U.S. Companies in China

If you are running a listed U.S. company in China, you need to take account of U.S. legislation as well as the Chinese variety, notably the new Sarbanes-Oxley Act on corporate gover- nance. One important implication of the act is that if you are a U.S. company, your Chinese based accountants, whether local or foreign, must be registered with the U.S. authorities. Here, we provide a detailed explanation of the act and its implications.     

Service by Decrees or Degrees?

Please fasten your seatbelt,sir. Would you like tea or coffee? Tell me your seat number and I'll see if I can find a China Daily or Morning Post newspaper for you. On the airlines