Life Upclose

China is home to many of the world's rare wild creatures, the giant panda and Chinese pangolin to name just two of them. Along with the arrival of spring in most parts of China, residents and tourists have been delighted to spot some of these rarely-seen animals – among them birds coming back from their migration, wild camels and pandas.

It's no doubt that China looks like an Eldorado for people working in the music industry: 1.4 billion inhabitants and their ever-improving living standards. Currently, the country is home to more than 950 million mobile internet users, who are creating a huge demand for quality digital music. Trying to tap into such market potential, a great many domestic and foreign music companies are presenting a variety of music choices for the online consumers. But profits seem to be evading them at the present.

As warm spring breezes begin to wake nature in most parts of China, residents are opening their doors and coming out of winter in more ways than one. Outdoor activities are definitely getting popular during this time. Group running, hiking and family outings are being organized across the nation, with an emphasis on joy, physical health, charity and a low-carbon lifestyle.

Amid the deepening economic

and social reforms, the Chinese government has begun to abolish some of the policies that

prevented farmers-turned migrant workers from becoming full-status urban citizens. But while some of the

migrant workers do choose to settle down in the cities, others, estimated to be

millions, decided to return to their rural hometowns, where new opportunities

are emerging. These returning migrant

workers, with the support of favorable policies, are finding jobs with local

businesses or starting their own in the agriculture, construction and service

industries.

Along with its eye-catching economic growth in recent decades, the world's most populous nation has also been aging rapidly.  Having long passed the international threshold of an "aging society," China is facing great challenges to provide elderly care for the hundreds of millions of people already above the age of 60. As the government finds itself short of the funds needed to build all the nursing homes required, it has been encouraging private investment and volunteer services to fill the gap.

China with its enchanting ancient civilization is home to many of the world's fascinating cultural heritages. Cultural institutions across the nation are now exploring various ways to better preserve these heritages and make them more easily accessible to the general public.

China's locally-produced comics or "Guoman" in Chinese have seen a rapid rise in popularity thanks tothe internet and efforts in creating derivative products of classical cartoon characters. To capitalize further on the domestic market, Chinese animation companies have also been exploring other ways to grow themselves.

Amid a national drive of environmental protection, many regions in China have been speeding up tree-planting efforts: new forest farms and parks are being built near cities; and inside them, more trees and green spaces are being developed. Even more importantly, better management of the forests is being encouraged and more benign economic development is being stressed.

China and its rich cultural relics are territories into which the art of modern dance, evolving in the West since the early 20th century, has been reaching its tentacles and in return drawing artistic inspiration. Willy Tsao, an artist born in Hong Kong, has played a monumental role in this process and is widely believed to be "the founding father of modern dance in China."