Chinese great Yao Ming retires from basketball

SHANGHAI – Yao Ming has made it official Wednesday, telling a packed news conference in his hometown that a series of foot and leg injuries have forced him to retire from basketball. “I will formally…

Yao set to announce retirement Wednesday

SHANGHAI – Yao Ming should make it official Wednesday afternoon, announcing what is widely expected to be his retirement from the NBA and a sport that made him a household name in China. The 7-foot-6…

Foreign singers on way to Beijing

BEIJING – For Juliet Petrus, a young American singer from Chicago, a first trip to China is coming with a great expectation – that she will get to perform songs from modern Chinese operatic works…

China’s bid for gold sweep gathers pace

China’s Wang Hao (front) and Chen Ruolin dive during the 10m platform synchro final Monday. Photo: Lu Yun/GT China doubled their gold medal haul at the world championships’ diving events Monday as their bid for…

“cartloads of books” e-publishing

There is a Chinese saying describing a brilliant scholar as having read “five cartloads of books”. In Confucius’ era, heavy bamboo or wood strips were the medium of publication, today its e-publications. Published in English…

China keep sights set on clean sweep

China’s Huo Liang (front) and Qiu Bo dive during the men’s 10m synchro platform preliminaries. Photo: CFP China blew away the competition with an emphatic display of diving Sunday to make it two world championships…

The perfect cut that also hurts

BEIJING – With annual growth rate of more than 15 percent and revenues in excess of 334 billion yuan ($51 billion), the hairdressing and beauty services industry in China should have been on the fast…