Mistresses of the megastars

As Chinese dishes go, there are several that flex their muscles, standing out globally to serve as tasty bastions of the nation, such as kung pao chicken, Peking duck, spring rolls and, of course, that king of Western-Chinese cuisine, sweet and sour pork (咕噜肉).

Voices that will not be stilled

"My greatest hope is that this book will inspire other authors and historians to investigate the stories of the Nanking survivors before the last of the voices from the past, dwindling in number every year, are extinguished forever."

Tale of horror on the stage

Last May, Jenny Chan established the Foundation Honoring Nanjing Massacre Survivors, a project sponsored by San Francisco's largest art space, Intersection for the Arts. Through the arts and theater, the foundation tries to encourage dialogue about the "forgotten Asian Holocaust" and provide an accurate account of events. Last year, the foundation performed a play about Minnie Vautrin called Forever Ginling.

Imagining China

In her debut novel River of Dust, Virginia Pye seems to agree with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Pearl S. Buck on at least one point: The missionaries who came to China in the early 20th century to spread the gospel were not necessarily needed.

IN BRIEF (Page 26)

A matter of Chinese taste

US first lady Michelle Obama's family made headlines Saturday night when they dined at Da Dong Peking Roast Duck Restaurant.

Scaling the tower of babble

Most often, a bad translation is just funny. Whole books have been compiled about Chinglish signs. But sometimes a fumbled rendering of language can be offensive.

Mission possible: to untie tongues

Today, a well-educated young person in Beijing will have plenty of chances to meet people from outside the country.

Giant panda draws in shoppers

Lawrence Argent is known for his giant public installations - a red rabbit leaping through an airport and a blue bear peeping into a convention center.

Fortress besieged

The Chinese Republic period was undoubtedly a high point for modern Chinese literature. The country was growing amidst unprecedented upheavals; it was a time of dissent, new thinking, and in literary terms there was a widespread attempt to identify China for what it was and at the same time carve out a path for what it could be.

Scientists and looters vie for treasure

After a descent of 16 meters into waters off the coast of Fujian province, Zhao Jiabin touched the sandy seabed.

Working below the waves

I've always loved the ocean. Before I began my career in underwater archaeology, my knowledge of the sea came from the beautiful scenes in National Geographic documentaries: blue water, colorful fish and reefs. I thought it would be nice to work underwater.