Topic: Forbidden City

Xi Jinping: A one-time 'princeling' takes China's reins (+video)

The son of a former top Communist Party official, China's President-to-be Xi Jinping is considered a cautious reformer.

Modern Parenthood China adoption diary: The Great Wall and pig knuckle pizza itinerary

Part 2 – China adoption diary: The Belsies follow the routine intinerary for adopting families. Pizza Hut and the Great Wall help decompress before meeting the new daughter. And Grace sees some of her Chinese heritage.

Modern Parenthood China adoption diary: over the pole, the odyssey begins

Part 1 – China adoption diary: The Belsie family begins their journey to adopt their second daughter from China with a 12-hour, 7,000-mile flight over the pole and down through Siberia to Beijing.

China's online protest movement

The online outpouring of anger and sympathy after a weekend bullet train accident in China killed at least 39 people has highlighted a robust criticism that exists online, sometimes beyond the reach of even the most powerful Chinese Internet censors. A number of recent online campaigns have managed to raise awareness of issues the government would have otherwise been able to keep out of the public eye. In some cases, protests have even prompted a government response. Here are four:

Kung Fu Panda 2: How real life informs a fantasy

How an amateur stole $1.5 million in art from China's Forbidden City

A reportedly amateur thief this week stole nine bejeweled purses worth $1.5 million from the Forbidden City in Beijing.

Beijing resident battles to rebuild home seized in China's Cultural Revolution

Professor Ma Xiuming was evicted from her courtyard home during China's Cultural Revolution and the house was demolished in 1992. But with the land still vacant, and in possession of a receipt of ownership, Ma is fighting to rebuild.

More than a tourist

A Christian Science perspective.

Beijing treasures: a hidden world on view

In a rare exhibit, treasures from a Chinese emperor's private retreat in the Forbidden City are on display at the Peabody Essex Museum.

Curator extraordinaire of Chinese art

Curator Nancy Berlinger's rare access began with shipping a humble 200-year-old Chinese home to Salem, Mass.

Five countries challenging Google

Online privacy has become a key civil liberty battleground. Companies such as Face­book and Google are amassing data about users' choices and activities, which busi­nesses – and governments – would like access to. Across Europe, a backlash against the storage of online users data is growing. In Germany almost 35,000 people, including Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, sued their own government over the issue. Here are five countries where Google faces privacy, censorship, or other fights.

Taiwan welcomes China’s tourism boom. But Chinese tourists, not so much

China’s tourism to Taiwan, once banned, is now growing fast as bilateral ties improve. But with the influx of visitors comes a culture clash.

The rise of Japan’s new Prime Minister Naoto Kan, and lessons for China

Unless China shifts its policies toward more democracy and tends to the interests of the rising urban middle class, it risks ending up in the same cul-de-sac as Japan.

Earth Hour 2010 aims to get 1 billion to turn off the lights

For this year's Earth Hour, set for 8:30 p.m. Saturday, more businesses and governments are expected to take part in the campaign to turn off the lights. The aim: at least 1 billion participants.

In China, kindergarten costs more than college

In Beijing, sending a child to kindergarten costs as much as $660 a month, compared with $102 a month for the country's top college. 

Obama charisma? China keeps it in tight check.

On first Obama trip to China, the message is clear: This is about China's rise, not Obama popularity.

China's 60th anniversary: from Mao's ideology to iPhones

Four generations of women recall China’s decades-long swerve from revolution and trauma to pragmatism and creature comforts.

China's citizen petitioners find cold reception in Beijing

Dismissed and harassed by local officials, a group of parents seeking redress for what they say are their children's vaccine-related disabilities traveled to the capital in a centuries-old tradition.