When an American-style drive-in movie theatre opened in the north-eastern outskirts of Beijing in 1998, it was tempting to imagine young urban Chinese using their new cars as a tool for dating.

ECONOMIST: Cars in China

Beyond the PBOC, Chinese policymakers do not see the yuan as a tool to manage inflation.

ECONOMIST: The Chinese case for a stronger, more flexible currency

Chinese calligraphy has always been more than simply a tool for communication, incorporating as it does the element of artistry for which the practice is still valued in an age of ballpoint pens and computers.

UNESCO: Culture