• Fear death without, not by, water

  Useful Info |

  The elixir of life? Some, in ancient times, believed it to be the philosopher's stone. Alchemists across ages and cultures tried to formulate it. Emperors in ancient China sought it to become immortal. Ancient Indian texts call it amrita, loosely described as nectar. Still others thought it was soma rasa, an intoxicating drink popular in ancient India.

• Unique brown panda survives winter

  People & Stories |

  XI'AN - Rare brown panda Qi Zai has faced temperatures of minus 30 degrees Celsius in the remote Qinling Mountains of west China this winter, but has come through unscathed, according to staff with a "training base" toughening him up for release into the wild.

• China preparing to raise retirement age: report

  People & Stories |

  BEIJING - China will set up a plan to raise the statutory retirement age in 2017 to relieve pressures from an aging population, an official researcher said.

• Chinese Girl Becomes Youngest Master of Memory

  People & Stories |

  A 10-year-old Chinese girl Yan Jiashuo has been named the International Master of Memory at the 24th World Memory Championships.

• Man Files China's 1st Lawsuit on Same-sex Marriage

  People & Stories |

  A homosexual man sued the local government agency in central China's Hunan Province last week over the right to marry, the China News Service reported yesterday.

• Celebrity microblogger's account closed for posting illegal info

  People & Stories |

  BEIJING - China's top Internet regulator on Sunday ordered the microblogging platforms of Sina and Tencent to shut down the accounts of Ren Zhiqiang, a celebrity blogger and property developer, for spreading illegal information.

• Govt office set up to protect juveniles

  People & Stories |

  BEIJING - The Ministry of Civil Affairs has inaugurated a new office devoted to protecting minors, especially China's tens of millions of children "left behind" by their migrant worker parents.

• 'Mermaid' becomes first Chinese movie to swim past $460m mark

  People & Stories |

  BEIJING- Stephen Chow's "The Mermaid," a comic love story and environmental parable, became the first Chinese movie to pass the 3 billion yuan ($460 million) ticket sales mark on late Friday, according to movie consulting firm EntGroup.

• Behind China's rising divorce rate: impulse or relief?

  Issues to Talk About |

  KUNMING - Li An is living happily with his wife again, one year after they applied for divorce following endless quarrels such as who should change the baby.

• Pregnancy Brings Hope after Tianjin Blasts

  People & Stories |

  A woman who lost her 19-year-old son in the Tianjin warehouse explosion in August has conceived another child through in vitro fertilization.