SARFT responds to public criticism of "Geisha movie"
The Hollywood movie "Memoirs of a Geisha" will not be premiered in China on February 19, as originally planned, the China Film Company has said.

Backstreet Boys back
Nearly a decade after their initial success, teen idol group the Backstreet Boys will appear at the Shanghai Grand Stage tomorrow, redeeming the promise they made two years ago to their fans in the city.

Life at the keyboard
When the well-known pianist Kong Xiangdong first made it big in the city in the early 1990s, he was called the "piano prince." His smart looks and passionate music won the hearts of many women fans.

Love comes at a hefty price in South Korea
There are up to 21 anniversaries, special days and celebrations a year for couples to shower each other with affection and gifts, and as a result some relationships are crushed under the weight of festivities.

Affection anxiety
NEWLY retired engineer Kotaro Toyohara arrives home for a family celebration after his final day at work, clutching a ring for his wife, Yoko, his head full of plans for the years of leisure ahead.

Caution: Marketing in progress
Some 100 years ago, John Wanamaker invented department stores. He said: "I know half my advertising budget is wasted. I just don't know which half." He echoed words of his contemporary, Lord Leverhulme, who founded Lever Brothers: "Half of my advertising budget is wasted and if I could discover which half, I would save it."

A question of integrity
Merriam-Webster, an online dictionary publisher, announced that the most looked up word for 2005 was “integrity.” Hardly surprising considering the world news and events over the previous 12 months, but I still found it somewhat comforting. Amongst all the corruption, tragedy and scandal, people were searching for something true, something genuine.

A lesson from Hong Kong
On the second day of the new year I flew to Hong Kong, one of my dream cities.

Medical ethics include billing policies
Perhaps one of the most talked about news stories at the end of 2005 was the huge medical bill scandal in Northeast China's city of Harbin.

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