China is one of the fastest growing destinations for tourists and businessmen, but many visitors are intimidated by the language barrier. Now there's a possible solution from China One Call (0845 500 2122; www.chinaonecall.com) a translation service at the end of the phone which launches on 16 October. You dial up a call centre and explain what you are trying to say, then hand your mobile to the taxi driver/waiter/receptionist who is given the message in Mandarin. You pre-pay blocks of call time - 60 minutes costs £39.

BEIJING - Remain calm, don’t fight back and try to send a text message to the police.

That’s how Chinese police have advised people to respond if captured by terrorists during next month’s Olympic Games, the official Xinhua News Agency said Friday.

The new “anti-terrorism manual” is the latest in a string of warnings issued by an increasingly jittery Chinese government in the run-up to the Aug. 8-24 Olympics. In addition to worries over foreign terrorist plots, Beijing is also concerned about political protests from domestic critics.

As we watch these global arguments around whether heads of state should come to China for the Olympic opening ceremonies, another question rears its head in the shadows: where are all of the CEOs? And not just around the Olympics, but generally? That by itself is shortsighted. But I submit that much more is needed. Put your butt where your business is...or will be!

With a story just oozing "China" at the seams, this article ponders why the film wasn't even made in the Middle Kingdom...

Bar owners near the Workers' Stadium in central Beijing say they have been forced by Public Security Bureau officials to sign pledges agreeing not to let black people enter their premises.

With dog meat banned from the official Olympic menu, dog owners in Beijing have a hard time dealing with the dog ownership laws imposed upon them.

A very outrageous video of Cantonese teens attacking a naked girl in a hotel room while four boys watch and laugh. Supposedly 6-8 of the teens in the video were eventually arrested. NOTE: This video contains nudity.

Some scoop on a 1920s-era home of a Frenchman who pissed off Shanghai gangster Du Yuesheng, and was later offed by Big Du.

Slideshow of 11 photos of must-see places in Shanghai...

The English language is the global Lingua Franca. How are countries that have their own native language, like the Chinese race, cope with this form of communication?