Activists, academics and dissidents are questioning China’s purge of Bo Xilai, demanding the rule of law be followed allowing the disgraced leader to defend himself.

Chinese leaders may spare a politician’s wife the death penalty for killing British businessman Neil Heywood, fearing it might incite public sympathy, analysts said today.

As China’s high-octane economy shifts to a lower gear, virtually everyone agrees the double- digit, super-charged boom years are drawing to an end.

In the Year of the Dragon, Amy Chua profiles four Chinese powerhouse women who bucked tradition to get rich — very, very rich

WHEN US vice president Joe Biden visited China last August, he spent many hours bonding with his Beijing counterpart, Xi Jinping.

WHEN Professor Fan Hong returned to China after studying abroad, she stopped in the neighbourhood where she thought she had lived and wondered where her home had gone.

Chinese premier Wen Jiabao has warned the ruinous turmoil that engulfed the country in the past could re-emerge unless it tackles political reforms.

The visit to Ireland of China’s pro-business vice-president Xi Jinping could mark the start of a significant increase in trade between the countries, but we must be ready to grab this golden opportunity with two hands, writes Dan Buckley

THIS gripping book about history’s most famous maritime disaster focuses mainly on the ship’s passengers and officers, and less on the tragedy.

A vast floor within London's Tate Modern art gallery has been carpeted with more than 100 million “sunflower seeds” – the latest commission in the annual Unilever Series.

Jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo won the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize today for “his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights” – an award sure to infuriate the Chinese government.

One of Tibet’s richest businessmen has been sentenced to life in prison for helping exile groups, a human rights organisation said today, the latest case in a surprising crackdown on well-known Tibetans once praised by Chinese authorities.

By Jan Wong

WHEN Anchee Min wrote Red Azalea, she realised that it was not just her own story “but also the story of China, its yesterday, today and tomorrow”.

An earthquake rocked south-west China, killing one person, injuring at least 324 others and collapsing 18,000 homes.

THE Little Emperors, they call them, and they can be counted in tens of millions. They are the young generation of China, and the main reason why that country will surely become the next and perhaps the greatest superpower in the world.

Two weeks ago China basketball star Yao Ming broke his left foot while playing for the Houston Rockets of the NBA, provoking hysteria among Chinese fans fearful the 7’ 6” centre will miss September’s World Championships. Michael Moynihan found out Yao was bred to carry the hopes of the nation from communism through to the free market.

YAO Wenyuan, the final surviving member of the Gang of Four that terrorised China during the violent 1966-76 Cultural Revolution, has died aged 74, the government announced yesterday.

China’s first astronaut in space returned safely to Earth today when his craft touched down as planned after 21 hours in orbit. Beijing’s mission control declared the country’s landmark debut flight “a success”.

Vice President Hu Jintao was appointed as leader of China’s Communist Party today, handing him the country’s most powerful position and making him a certain bet to replace Jiang Zemin as president next year.

They were never guerrillas, hiding in caves until they could make their move and build the China of their dreams.