These photos show the gradual and perfectly timed improvement in weather conditions in the run up to the Chinese Republic's 60th anniversary on October 1. Pure luck? Not so, says one of our Observers in the city. An American expat who lives in Beijing, Roseann Lake gives her reaction to the event. Read more...

These high quality images of China's Three Gorges Dam were captured by the International Space Station in April. It took 15 years to build the world's biggest and most powerful hydroelectric dam, and despite concerns over its human and environmental impact, it finally came into use last autumn. Read more...

You often see Western teenagers wearing Che Guevara T-shirts as a sign of rebellion. Guangzhou resident Liu Shihui decided to don a T-shirt with the motif "The Chinese Communist Party opposes one-party rule". But despite explaining that the phrase came from the government itself, Liu was detained by the police. Read his account...

Thirty Tibetans accused of taking part in the riots last month have been convicted today with sentences ranging from three years in jail to life imprisonment. One of our Observers has sent us the first images of the trial, made public by the state press agency Xinhua, just as the sentences were handed out. See the pictures.

When a local factory owner filed a case against a power station for stealing his sand and tampering with the land, he did not expect to be found guilty of blackmail. Paraded through the streets for eight hours, condemned in public and jailed for three months, Tang Xiaodong has now launched a campaign to seek justice. Read more...

The Shanghai Composite Index has dropped by 40% in the past five months, with a massive 4% tumble occuring on Tuesday (March 19). The Chinese government promised its people immunity from the worldwide financial slump that grew out of the US subprime crisis, but the stark evidence suggests it has failed. Small shareholders fear the worst, and are expressing their worries online, including in songs. Read more...

Photo: http://xitek.com/

This ‘eco’ photo - a villainous train frightening away some pretty antelopes – was rewarded in 2006 by the Chinese state-run TV channel CCTV. But over a year later, a web-user has trumped the image: the scene was created on Photoshop. Read more…

The situation in Guizhou province, south-west China is grave. Seventy percent of rainfall is pure ice. Two thirds of electricity has been cut off, and water pipes are frozen. Many people in isolated towns are completely cut off from the world, while the rest of China remains oblivious to the extent of the disaster. To avoid national panic the authorities have downplayed events. But they may also be trying to cover up their poor reaction to the catastrophe. Read more...

Every journalist dreads doing a vox pop. Hours of standing outside, microphone in hand, camera over shoulder, always looking for the ‘right client'; the person who'll give you a clear and concise comment on the subject. But local television in China has found a solution. Journalists (see photos) prepare comments in advance, and simply ask passers-by to read them out. Read more...

The one-child policy rule has always been enforced more strictly in rural areas of China. While it was originally the poor who had more than one child, it’s now the rich and famous. But at a cost of over €120,000 per child, this may now change. Our Observer Yi Fuxian denounces ‘a policy that ruins future prospects for a supposedly overcrowded population’. Read more...

A funny video on the one child policy