• A thirst for change in polluted waterways

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  The quality of China's water resources has been in decline for several decades. Now, measures are being introduced to return the country's lakes, rivers and subterranean supplies to health.

• Red-Letter Day: Uncovering Beijing’s Literary and Ideological Past

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  It’s a bitterly cold Beijing morning with flurries of snow floating around us. I’m joining Nelly Alix from Beijing by Heart (who also took us on a visit of Guozijian last August) for a three-hour walking tour. We’ll be exploring the city’s past, with stops at the former residence of writer Lao She, the Red Building of the old Peking University, and Zhongshan Park, where writers gathered for artistic inspiration in the 1920s.

• What future is there for free will?

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  One anecdote described a post-hypnotic suggestion given to a hypnotized subject. The subject was told that after being awakened, his therapist would rise and look at his watch, and at that moment the subject would leap out of his chair, remove his jacket, and fling it across the room. The subject, after being awakened and having carried out the post-hypnotic suggestion, when asked why he had committed such an irrational outburst, provided a plausible, rational narrative; having no recollection of the therapist's earlier suggestion.

• One person, working on multiple careers

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  Before one of my editors sent me an article on "slash careers", I had known only the Hollywood jargon of "hyphenate" to help describe someone holding concurrent multiple jobs.

• Cases of illegal GM crops 'under control'

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  Genetically modified crops have been planted illegally in China, but such cases are sporadic and under control, Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu said in Beijing on Monday.

• First Zika Virus Case Confirmed in China: Xinhua

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  China has its first confirmed case of the Zika virus in Jiangxi province, the Xinhua News Agency reported Tuesday.

• Pollution in China: A Doctor's Perspective

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  This post, in which International SOS's Dr. Michael Couturie provides advice for minimizing short and long-term health effects of pollution, comes courtesy of our content partners at AmCham China.

• Subway Line 8's Third Phase to Open in 2017

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  Remember Line 8, that Beijing Subway line that you rode due north to Olympic events? It's about to be expanded for the third time and go way, way down south.

• Beijing Railway Stations Trialing Facial Recognition Security System

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  Although the outbound leg of travel for Spring Festival is almost over, travelers leaving Beijing after the celebrations may have the chance to utilize a new security system being tested at Beijing's railway stations, state-run media reported.

• Broken Facebook Dreams: New Astrill VPN iOS Application May Take 7-10 Working Days

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  We have confirmed reports of some users deleting the Astrill app and reinstalling it, and the VPN being back up.