Coming home: Angelina Jolie, Julie Andrews and Mia Farrow made headlines by adopting children internationally, but celebrities are not the only people who adopt overseas. Several families in Johnson County have adopted children abroad through Holt International.
China map lays claim to Americas: A map due to be unveiled in Beijing and London next week may lend weight to a theory a Chinese admiral discovered America before Christopher Columbus. The map, which shows North and South America, apparently states that it is a 1763 copy of another map made in 1418.
A Piracy Culture: On a recent afternoon at Beijing's famous Silk Street Market, a vendor displayed a wide selection of Burberry rain coats. Price: $40, subject to negotiation. Like virtually all of the luxury goods for sale at the market, the coats were counterfeit.
Giant Panda has a new sub-species: Chinese researchers specialized in giant panda have discovered a new species, Qinling sub-species of panda. . . . One kind is like a cat with a round head, the other is like a bear with a long head, Qinling panda and Sichuan panda are different kinds of pandas.
Wealth Grows, but Health Care Withers in China: When Jin Guilian's family took him to a county hospital in this gritty industrial city after a jarring two-day bus ride during which he drifted in and out of consciousness, the doctors took one look at him and said: "How dare you do this to him? This man could die at any moment." The doctors' next question, though, was about money.
The Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City is closing to be restored. Here are a few pictures.
Panda Politics: Once again the rival regimes in Beijing and Taipei are engaged in a war of words, but this time the topic is pandas. Specifically a cute, cuddly, just-can't-resist pair of giant panda cubs which Chinese authorities have offered to Taiwan as a "goodwill gesture." Problem is, Taiwanese authorities are trying hard to resist what some call the mainland's "panda ploy."
Two more bird flu deaths in China: Two more people have died of bird flu in China, bringing the total number of fatalities there to five. The two victims reportedly died in December - one in Guangxi province and the other in Jiangxi province.
Another Chinese Export Is All the Rage—China's Language: Conquering the world is not supposed to be easy, but that's exactly how things must look some days to Xu Lin, head of the government's new effort to promote the Chinese language overseas.
Grand palaces, splendid feats, bustling marketplaces. The vitality and glory of the ancient Orient-home of her mother's ancestors-fascinate Ana Ming.
Thanks to her great-aunt, Ana Ming can step back to the Eastern empires of long ago. Aunt Cordelia bequeathed Ana Ming and her cousins a glorious jewel. That moonstone gem magically transports Ana Ming to wherever she wishes.
Sterling couple open their home to Asian orphans: Peter Lamb knew his wife, Denise, wouldn't have the heart to let go of Yihan Kang once they began caring for the severely burned 3-year-old Chinese orphan boy at home.
Australia issues Chinese "Year of Dog" stamps: Australia published the commemorative postal productions Jan. 5 to celebrate the upcoming Chinese lunar New Year, or "Year of Dog", starting from Jan. 29.
A Bigger Stick Against Chinese Fakes: A Beijing court ruling holds that a market owner is responsible for letting its vendors sell fakes, raising hope among companies stung by counterfeiters.
Editorial--Adopting accountability: For people who adopt from overseas, the operating assumption is that children who need a home were abandoned by their birth mothers and somehow delivered to an orphanage. Yet the circumstances of each baby's background often remain elusive.
