Smart exit from gold doldrums

If anyone can excavate their way out of a deep pit of economic misery you would think it would be those who make heavy-mining machines. In that regard, the gold mining equipment makers of Zhaoyuan in Shandong province do not disappoint.

Chinese fan goes behind the mic

"When I am sitting down, looking at the screen and talking about the match, I really feel I am a king," says He Yu, 25, a football radio commentator in Britain.

Inflation spike not worrisome

Although inflation rose to a seven-month high in September, it was within the comfort zone for China's economy and will not lead the government to revise its reform policies, economists says.

Overseas M&A deals gather momentum

Chinese overseas mergers and acquisitions reached a new high in the first half of the year, with deals getting bigger in size and moving up on the value chain, global accounting firm Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu said in a report released on Oct 15.

Emerging sectors to see more investment

Outbound investment from China will become more diverse in both target markets and fields in the coming year, according to a report released by global consulting firm Ernst & Young on Oct 15.

The man who likes to cut a fine figure

When Scottish native Austin Lally, president of Global Braun and Appliances GmbH, a German electronic shaver producer, makes his annual visit to China, he likes to check out local department stores, starting with the skin care section.

It is meat and drink for them

Donna Wang is one of the many shoppers buying ham at a busy supermarket in downtown Shanghai. Unlike most of her peers who are scouring the shelves for reputed foreign brands, Wang prefers to buy ham made by the Chinese pork producer Shuanghui.

Setting the standard

China can learn from the UK's experience in helping small and medium-sized businesses implement food safety standards, says Jenny Morris, principal policy officer of the London-based charity Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.

Minnow carves its credentials in wood

The setting and story are almost of fairy tale proportions - the tiny hamlet, by Chinese standards, of Yunhe, deep in the mountain forests of Zhejiang province, produces half the world's wooden toys.

More than perfect educated guess

In 2002, Ye Changhua gave up his job as a public servant in Yunhe and started his own business manufacturing wooden toys.

Quotable

"If you look at successful foreign companies in the Chinese market, few have a short history. Bosch, Siemens they have all been here for more than 100 years. What do we expect from Chinese companies launched maybe 15 years ago and started going abroad five years ago?"

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