The government aims to reduce the number of rural students who drop out or migrate to urban areas because of village school closures and mergers, China Daily reports.

BBC: China media: Egypt accident anger

For anyone numbed by the impersonal nature of modern Chinese apartment blocks or the frenzied pace of urban China, the earth buildings are enchanting reminders of communal village life and the ancient rhythms of the agrarian southeast.

BBC: The Hakka earth buildings of Fujian

Our calculations are based on the value-added in industry (which extends beyond manufacturing) and the wage bill of urban factories, which does not count the town and village enterprises that employ over two-thirds of China's metal-bashers.

ECONOMIST: The yuan-dollar exchange rate