Risk averse

Reforms needed if banks are to lend to small firms instead of playing safe with State enterprises.

Global experience 'crucial for growth'

Regulators 'need to step cautiously'

Stability achieved; now, efficiency

A delicate balancing act

Golden Week brings joy to retailers

Though concerns over the economy still persist, consumer spending, backed by fresh government incentives, continued to rise in China during the Golden Week holidays (Sept 30-Oct 7), bringing much cheer to businesses and industry.

IN BRIEF (Page 2)

New media improves transparency

I look back at my more than 20 years going to China and, without doubt, the Chinese people today live far better lives. Both material goods and personal freedoms have never been greater.

Managing risk on the world stage

The rise of the robots

Rising labor costs, innovation drive prompt companies to use more machines in manufacturing.

Siasun's metallic touch

Waiting for the tide to turn

Quotable

IN BRIEF (Page 14)

Bing seeks big bang in hits

Sky's the limit for mobile app company

Sails fly again on glorious junks

Well before Columbus discovered America, the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) mariner Zheng He led a commercial fleet of more than 200 junks from China's shores to places as distant as the Red Sea.

Behind the Masks of the Face Changers

Drinking in success

A romantic gesture by Frenchman Alexander Cros won the heart of his fellow business-course student - and ultimately led him to forge a new and flourishing career on the other side of the world, in China's fast-growing wine industry.

Path ways laid to learning

Fuzhou's old heart beats on

When the American coffeehouse chain Starbucks unveiled plans for a redesign of its outlet in the city of Fuzhou recently, it was clear that locals were in for a special treat.

An evening with top playwright

Throughout his career, David Henry Hwang has explored the complexities of forging Eastern and Western cultures in contemporary America.

Events

'Reduce the role of the State'

There is a parallel between the Chinese economy over the past 30 years and a lazy student who suddenly has decided to open his books, says Zhang Weiying, one of China's leading economists.