Melinda Liu

Chinese President Hu Jintao comes to America with plenty of disputes to resolve—if that's what he's here for.

Hu Jintao's wife is, by many accounts, stern but low-key, the latest in a long line of near-invisible first ladies of China. Since the death of Mao's wife, Jiang Qing, a Shanghai actress who became notorious for her brutal part in the Cultural Revolution, the wives of Chinese leaders have been conspicuously absent from the public stage. But that's all about to change.

The Chinese, Pyongyang's main protection against total collapse, privately confess to being sick of their neighbor's disruptive demands for attention.

Chinese officials used to say their alliance with North Korea was "as close as lips and teeth." Now, as Pyongyang continues to bite the hand that feeds it, Beijing's exasperation is growing.

Beijing's announcement that it will shutter more than 2,000 polluting steel mills and other industrial energy hogs by Sept. 30 might look like one more sign that China is moving up fast in the global race to go green. Lately, important figures like President Obama and newspaper columnist Thomas Friedman have been warning that the People's Republic is far outpacing America in ecofriendly technology.

New turf battles have erupted in the rivalry between Hong Kong and Shanghai over which metropolis will be the financial heart of China. The conventional wisdom has long been that Hong Kong would prevail. But Shanghai is keen to grab a bigger piece of the action, and it's on a fast learning curve.

When GQ pulled its Chinese-language magazine from newsstands, it wasn't because of censorship. It just didn't want to anger rich Chinese.

Comedy is on the rise in China, and one of its unlikeliest stars is a cross-dressing performer known as Xiao Shenyang, or "Little Shenyang." Born in hardscrabble northeast China, the 29-year-old comedian has a reputation for gender-bending costumes and occasional vulgarity.

While blue-collar wages have soared recently, white-collar pay is actually shrinking, thanks to a massive glut of university graduates. And salary cuts aren't the only complaint.

Beijing is reviving the idea of 'empire' with the launch of the world's most ambitious high-speed rail line.

Next month's eye-popping World Expo heralds the city's resurgence—and perhaps a bruising new chapter in U.S.-Sino relations.

Two years ago on March 14, rioting in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa left at least 22 people dead. China's leaders have since scrambled to restore normalcy in the area.

Farms matter more than skyscrapers.

It would be understandable if foreign business leaders are confused by the signals Beijing is sending these days. On the one hand, Premier Wen Jiabao cordially greeted international executives last week, telling them, "It's important to reinforce your confidence in China." On the other, Wen's comments came the same day Google shut its China search engine, saying it would no longer bow to government pressure to censor results.

Google couldn't find a way to work within Beijing's limits, and employees of mining giant Rio Tinto wound up behind bars. What's the key to succeeding in the world's largest marketplace?

The country is facing increasing international pressure to support sanctions. But China will require something in return.

Why China is no longer interested in following America's lead.

'Avatar' trumps China's great sage.

In all the recent controversy over racism in China—focused on 20-year-old Shanghai pop singer Lou Jing, whose mother is Chinese and father is African-American—people forgot to mention how the Chinese bureaucracy itself encourages citizens to classify themselves by race.

Well before the Chinese welcomed Obama, his ambassador was showing them how an American politician works a crowd. And they love it.

On the eve of Obama's visit, China reveals an identity crisis.

China has launched a concerted effort to bring home top talent from the United States.

China's top climate-change negotiator makes a case that his country is gearing up for the December summit in Copenhagen.

The enormous military parade marking China's 60th anniversary isn't about impressing the world—it's about impressing the Chinese themselves.

As China prepares to celebrate the 60th anniversary of communist rule this week, the one-party system looks more and more unlikely to last another 60. Questions about who will succeed Chinese President Hu Jintao in 2012 are increasing because two coalitions of almost equal power are jockeying for position.

China's resource nationalism is on the rise as it hoards minerals essential for batteries, cell phones, computers, and the green revolution.

In a trend that will change the country, leadership of China's Communist Party is slowly passing from functionaries trained in engineering to those educated in softer sciences like law.

The Chinese take their side of paradise very seriously, and by paradise we mean the island of Hainan, a.k.a. "the Hawaii of China." The beaches are kept pristinely white (good news, especially for those brave enough to try the clothing-optional one).

The conviction of Burma's opposition leader doesn't show clemency or compromise; it's a sign of the regime's desperation.

China rediscovers the benefits of vocational school.