It mixes nicely turned capsule biographies of famous people with short sections on concepts that are important to particular schools of Chinese thought, as well as summaries of a few famous novels.

FORBES: This Is China--The First 5,000 Years

Two years ago, nobody thought HSBC would ever dispose of major Chinese assets.

FORBES: Global Banks Are 'Divorcing' China

Who would have thought that pizza would become a staple of the Chinese fast food and casual dining industry, going against the grain of thousands of years of culinary history?

FORBES: Pizza Anyone?

In September Michael Griffin, the head of America's space agency, NASA, said he thought the Chinese would get to the moon before America returns.

ECONOMIST: China's space programme: Ni hao, Moon | The

According to stories, a ship from the Chinese admiral's fleet is thought to have foundered off the coast of Kenya in the early 1400s.

BBC: News - Should shipwrecks be left alone?

After a brave start in the 1980s, Huang Jianxin, another Chinese director, became known for cautious parodies touching mainly local chords and was widely thought of outside China as a spent force.

ECONOMIST: Modern-day life is now the focus of the best films from China