Liu Shinan is China Daily's assistant editor-in-chief. He writes commentaries on social and cultural issues.
When did you last write - I mean in the real sense, i.e. a handwritten letter - to your parents, brothers, sisters, other relatives or friends who live apart from you? To this question, most people would answer "years ago".
Tens of thousands - maybe even millions, if the rumors are to be believed - of victims of the "panda burning incense" computer virus must have felt a twinge of satisfaction when they learned that the author of the digital scourge had been sentenced on Monday to four years behind bars.
The No 1 glacier on Tianshan Mountain in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is receding at an annual rate of eight meters, according to the latest report from research authorities.
A photo published by the People's Daily newspaper last Friday touched me greatly. A school boy of about 8 or 9 pulling two large sacks - almost the size of himself - of empty cans he had collected to his school as part of his "summer vacation homework".
I bought a Motorola mobile phone last week. A few days later I found the sound of the phone was odd, like that of a radio not tuned properly. I went back to the shop and asked for a replacement, backed with the "three warranties policy", which says that the customer can return a commodity if it is defective within seven days after purchase or ask for a replacement within 15 days.
Beijing municipal government's decision to limit the number of motor vehicles on the city's roads during a four-day test, which starts this weekend, demonstrates its resolve to address the problems of congestion and pollution caused by emissions.
My driver's license expired last Friday after six years. A few days earlier, I had downloaded a blank "certificate of physical health" form from the website of the Beijing municipal traffic authorities and went to an authorized hospital for a test. The test was required for the renewal of the license.
One of the good things about hosting the Olympic Games is the development of tourism. Tourist resorts throughout the country are doing their utmost to benefit from the opportunity. They should, however, refrain from killing the goose that lays the golden egg with their exploitation of tourists.
Two dog-related stories appeared online on Monday, showing the two extremes of people's love and hate for the animal.
Ours is a developing - and poor - country with a per capita GDP of $1,970, giving us a ranking of 112th in the world. But that never seems to dissuade us from lavishing our money on the latest modern conveniences. The use of cell phones is an example.
The government of Lanzhou could not have anticipated that its decision last week to cap the price of beef noodle, a regular breakfast of the Northwest China city's residents, would have yielded a by-product - food for thought.
The Three Gorges Botanical Garden of Rare Plants was closed last month for financial reasons.
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