The internet is a lovely thing. Along with useful things like watching videos of cats play in cardboard boxes, it allows us the luxury of seeing just what people get up to when they're sitting around bored at work. more ›

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Holidays are meant as a time for the reunification of families, when children return to the folds of the home from whence they left to pursue their own lives and dreams. However, due to long distances and financial burdens, many people found it simply impossible to return home this year, creating thousands of "empty nests" (空巢, kōngcháo) across China. In the pictures above, one photographer for Xinhua News traveled around Shaanxi (陕西) Province and documented the impact urbanization has had on rural families whose chairs and homes remain empty over a holiday season meant to celebrate the family. more ›

We hope no one had to be anywhere important last night! Yan'an elevated road, among others, saw severe gridlock and huge traffic jams probably due to heavy rain in the afternoon and pre-holiday travel. Or, if you prefer (and we do), there's Shanghai Daily's theory that the gridlock was caused by people rushing to the store to cash in their mooncake coupons before they expired on the 9th! more ›

• A kitten dressed in lambs clothing? Hmm, we’re sure that’s not how the saying goes. Oh well, that’s the least of our worries; latest rumours to reach us are that street vendors are selling “lamb shiskabobs”….without the lamb; opting instead for kitty cat.
• Well that’s the mid-autumn festival over for another year. Unfortunately it isn’t the end of the hectic ‘holiday’ timetabling that we’re sure many of you are suffering. This mid-autumn festival, Google joined in with the ‘festivities’ by ‘pimping’ their homepage for the day. They paid homage to the lady on the moon; a lady soon to be joined by Chinese astronauts! Obviously remembering her by eating mooncake’s is far easier…and far more cost efficient. You may just want to disregard any leftover cakes though - no point in expanding China’s waistline anymore.
• We’ve been struck with a dose of i-Fever this week. Not only were we slightly puzzled by the over eagerness of some Macnerds to get their hands on an i-pad, (including one guy who queued for 19 hours….despite already owning one?!) but we also realised that Apple get off on seeing people form ‘en mass’ outside their shops; there second store in Shanghai opened yesterday - the same day as the China iPhone4 launch.

The Mid-Autumn squeeze is here! Despite the slightly rainy day, 480,000 people visited the Shanghai Expo yesterday, causing lines at popular pavilions (like the Oil Pavilion and the Saudi Arabian one) to stretch for 6 hours. Looks like we'll have to wait until holidays are over before Expo returns to the relatively serene levels of people it hosted in early September. The good news is: ticket deals! Unused Expo day ticket holders can now change their one day ticket into two night tickets. Not only do you avoid the crowd, you also bring in a friend (while saving 20RMB). more ›

Cute! Despite the ridiculous holiday schedule this year, I hope everybody enjoys looking up in the sky for the woman who accidentally swallowed a pill and floated to the moon. more ›

Any kind of holiday can make people who are away from their loved ones feel isolated, and the Mid-Autumn festival is no exception. With this in mind, we're almost about to be inundated by more mooncakes than we can eat - before you start gorging (or throw them out), spare a thought to all of the elderly folks in Shanghai by donating some of your stash to them this Mid-Autumn festival - the 22nd of September. more ›

The National Holiday Schedule for 2010 actually came out a while ago, but with September and October holidays approaching, it seems that Chinese citizens are beginning to sit up and take notice... and they are NOT happy with what they're seeing. more ›

Welcome to the latest episode of Chinese Soundbites, a podcast series brought to you by ChinesePod and Shanghaiist. Every week we'll be bringing you topics and words pulled straight from the headlines, in Mandarin Chinese. more ›