• Beijing Railway Stations Trialing Facial Recognition Security System

  Useful Info |

  Although the outbound leg of travel for Spring Festival is almost over, travelers leaving Beijing after the celebrations may have the chance to utilize a new security system being tested at Beijing's railway stations, state-run media reported.

• Britain's Prince George to Start at Nursery in New Year

  People & Stories |

  Prince George, the young son of Britain's Prince William and wife Kate, is to start at nursery school in the new year, his father's office said on Friday.

• Thai Teen Reminds Fans of Late Teresa Teng

  People & Stories |

  Vanatsaya Viseskul, a sweet-voiced, round-faced 16-year-old Thai singer, whose name, at the moment, is inextricably linked with the late Teresa Teng, a singer from Taiwan whose love songs gained her wide fame across Asia, sat on a chair in a dressing room of a theater in Beijing.

• Newly-Wed Soldier, Conductor Couple Grab Rare 30-Min Reunion

  People & Stories |

  Fan Ding, a frontier soldier assigned to security tasks during the Spring Festival travel rush, recently got a 30-minute platform reunion with his wife Lei Yun, a conductor also devoted to the peak period.

• Brit Gets Job as Beijing Courier

  People & Stories |

  Chinese e-commerce supplier Suning Tesco is hiring foreigners to work as couriers during the Spring Festival to ensure efficient express delivery services and cover staff shortages at this busy time.

• Broken Facebook Dreams: New Astrill VPN iOS Application May Take 7-10 Working Days

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  We have confirmed reports of some users deleting the Astrill app and reinstalling it, and the VPN being back up.

• If You Love Your Uncle, Avoid These Chinese New Year Taboos!

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  You have probably heard enough of Spring Festival traditions and customs, but what about taboos? People do not usually tell you of such things until you break a cultural taboo or step on someone's toes. For example, if someone has their hair cut anytime during the first lunar month, bad luck is supposed to fall upon their maternal uncles.

• Monkey Business: Beijing’s 6 Best Temple Fairs

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  For Beijingers, attending a miaohui (temple fair) comes second only to the family reunion dinner when it comes to Chinese New Year observances. Though miaohui started taking shape as early as the Wei dynasty (220-264 AD), the temple fair as we know it dates in earnest from the Tang era (618-907 AD).

• Drumroll, Please: And the Winners of the Beijinger's 2016 Reader Restaurant Awards Are …

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  After a grueling month-long process which included the collecting and analysis of over 13,000 ballots, the list of Beijing's Best Restaurants for 2016 is becoming clear – and we're releasing a partial list below.

• Air China Expands San Francisco Service; Travel Info from around the Internet

  People & Stories |

  Air China is increasing its service to San Francisco from daily to 11 times per week (wow). Additional flights will be added beginning August 2, 2016, although the airline did not specify which days will receive the extra service.