"It's very seldom that I cannot get to sleep because I hardly have enough time to sleep... But if I must give an answer, it would be: The city's security problems."

- Beijing Mayor Wang Qishan answering the question: "What makes you sleepless?"

"To some extent, I agree."

- Yang Zaixi, former vice-mayor of Lanzhou, capital city of Northwest China's Gansu Province, equivocating to allegations in court that he has taken bribes. His style of response is not uncommon among senior officials.

"The average height of children has risen, so the standard height for judging whether kids can use public facilities free of charge should also be changed."

- A parent complaining that the standard height has not been adjusted for decades. (Usually, public places don't charge children under one metre tall in China.)

"Almost everything on the earth can be found here."

- An employee at the Lost and Found Station in Paris. In order to celebrate its 200th birthday, the station had been opened to the public as of mid-May to display items that bear witness to the evolution of French society.

"The housing market in Shanghai has fallen faster than at any time since 1998."

- An expert member of a Shanghai government think tank, quoted in China Newsweek. Insiders said the slide might last for one or two years, rather than six months as the public guesses.

"The time required for students to obtain a doctoral degree should be extended to four years to improve the quality of their work. It is hardly possible for students to complete good work in the current three-year period. On the other hand, the time required for a master's degree should be shortened, otherwise, it will take too long for a person to become a doctor from primary school."

- Reform suggestions from Professor Zhou Zhenhe of Fudan University.