China on caffeine

How about trading a dainty cup of Chinese tea for a great big mug of high-octane coffee? The CEO of Starbucks told the Wall Street Journal this week that he wants to open thousands of his coffee shops across China. Beijing already has 376 Starbucks. What will the big, busy city be like with an even bigger jolt of caffeine?

All the news that’s fit to flush

A luxury toilet recently opened in the city of Nanjing, which cost 400,000 yuan. That’s $35,000. The toilet covers more than 100 square meters, and is equipped with antique furniture, central air-conditioning and an LCD TV. And, according to WeirdAsianNews.com, it’s free to use, too.

It’s not the only toilet in China that comes with TV sets. At a nature resort in Guizhou China, the men’s room is fully equipped with TVs, too.

Thank you (I think)

Xinhua reports this week that a simple thank you can do a lot to help relationships. That’s based on a US study published in the recent issue of Psychological Science. But what about those foreign newcomers who come to China and don’t know how to say thank you – spelled xie xie in pinyin? The Week installed a special camera in a local restaurant to show you what kind of trouble you can get into when you don’t know how to correctly pronounce ‘thank you’ in Chinese …

（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）

About the broadcaster:

Renee Haines is an editor and broadcaster at China Daily. Renee has more than 15 years of experience as a newspaper editor, radio station anchor and news director, news-wire service reporter and bureau chief, magazine writer, book editor and website consultant. She came to China from the United States.