Meng Haoran (Chinese: 孟浩然; Wade–Giles: Meng Hao-jan; 689/691–740) was a Chinese poet and a major literary figure of the Tang dynasty. He was somewhat an older contemporary of Wang Wei, Li Bai and Du Fu. Despite his brief pursuit of an official career, Meng Haoran spent most of his life in and a...

Michael Prochazka(born February 10, 1972, inKlagenfurt) is anAustriansocial scientist and economist and vice-chairman of theAustrian Service Abroad.LifeStudyingMichael Prochazka studied economics,political science, as well asethnologyandsinology&...

Pierre Ryckmans(28 September 1935 – 11 August 2014), better known by hispen nameSimon Leys, was aBelgian-Australianwriter, essayist andliterary critic, translator, art historian,sinologist, and university professor, who lived in Australia from 1970. His work part...

Tang Yan holds a Beijingjuanrencharacteristic of a Peking Opera figure at the Tangrenfang Art of Dolls Museum in the capital city's eastern Tongzhou district.[Photo provided to China Daily]Traditional craft makes a comeback as new technology helps cut costs, Yang Feiyue reports...

A collection of lacquered furniture at Gao Guangyou's workshop in Bijie city, Guizhou province. [PHOTO BYPENG YOULIN/CHINA DAILY]Dafang lacquerware is 1,700 years old, but now one craftsman is taking the tradition in a fresh direction, Yang Feiyue and Yang Jun report.Rows of lacquerware ob...

Velvet flowers made by Zhao Shuxian and his team embody a long-standing handicraft tradition in Nanjing, Jiangsu province.[Photo provided to China Daily]When Zhao Shuxian started working at an art and craft factory in Nanjing in Jiangsu province in 1973, the then 19-year-old was given the job...