China : The wrath of the yellow dragon

China is one of the countries where desertification has had the greatest impact. One-quarter of its area is already affected, and the desert is expanding by over 2,500 square kilometres per year. Longbaoshan is located in Hebei Province, just 38 kilometres northwest of the Beijing suburbs. It’s (...)

On the Road to the Green Gold

It’s a fact: Traditional Chinese medicine and its therapeutic arsenal, based on plants and insects, is attracting more and more avid interest from foreign pharmaceutical companies. following the trend, the Pierre Fabre group tracked down Tripterygium, a climbing plant whose roots may contain (...)

Rare-earth mining in China comes at a heavy cost for local villages

Pollution is poisoning the farms and villages of the region that processes the precious minerals. One page article published in Le Monde ( 20th July 2012)

The Origins of Tai-Chi

This range of sacred Taoist mountains harbours the legend of an age-old art form: Tai Chi. Ever since the health nuts of western society adopted this martial art as a new, fashionable activity, this site has opened its doors to mass tourism. Making the most out of the western predilection for Tai (...)