According to the Oriental Morning Post, a new health survey of white collar workers shows that over three quarters of them are in bad shape, and have the physical attributes of someone ten years their senior. Top reasons for the poor physiology? Booze and cigarettes Real estate prices, aging and distant parents, and a fruitless love life. We're not sure how you determine the biological state of an entire section of the populace using a questionnaire, but we definitely believe that there are significant health risks with the traditional upper-middle class lifestyle in China (did they even consider booze and cigarettes?). We'd have to say that the stress wrought from being single and far from home is probably not exclusive to white collar workers, though: in fact, we'd bet that blue collar workers age twice as fast as their significantly starchier brethren. more ›

White collar workers in Shanghai have expressed increasing dissatisfaction with the lunch options offered at moderately-priced restaurants around the city. more ›

It seems to be a recurrent theme in Chinese history that farming and happiness are linked. The ancient Poet Tao Qian wrote of the idyllic beauty of picking chrysanthemums and gazing towards the southern hills; everyone from politicians to students were "sent down" to the countryside to promote re-education in the ways of the land; and these days, you can even farm on Kaixin to ease the pain of your technology-ridden soul. more ›

The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences recently published a report about how much income you need in order to be classified as white-collar in various Chinese cities. At the top of the list was Hong Kong, where you needed to make at least 18,500 RMB. As for some of the other cities:The benchmarks in some major cities at the upper end are: 8,900 yuan ($1,194) in Macao, 5,350 yuan ($717) in Shanghai, 5,280 yuan ($708)... more ›