What do fireworks, great action movies, fruit wrapped in baskets, fancy envelopes, new clothing and people getting fat have in common? You guessed it, they’re all things you see during Chinese New Year! As this year’s chunyun comes to a close, let’s take a minute and look back on some of the impressive figures that were rung up during the CNY period.

It’s the holiday season and that usually means a period of overindulgence and the exchanging of gifts followed by a resolve to make a change next year. We’ve tried to help you get a head start on two of those three inevitable in our Cover Feature. We’ve dived hands first into the world of Chinese handicrafts to bring you what Beijing has to offer – from candy figurine blowing to Peking Opera mask painting. Why not get your hands on a new hobby, craft gifts for family and friends and – in some cases – even give a little to charity? We think that’s well worth getting your hands dirty.

Gwyneth Paltrow is coming to Beijing this Thursday for the China leg of luxury accessory brand Coach's 70th anniversary celebrations - and she needs your help.

If you've got access to CCTV you'll likely have seen the endearing lunacy of its official Guinness World Records show. Rubik's Cube manipulation, tiny-wheeled unicycling and eating M&Ms with chopsticks - almost anything is legitimate to become the best in the world at. Our November Cover Feature explains everything you need to know about China and Guinness World Records. We've gone straight to those who know - the record breakers and recorders themselves.

Happy birthday to us. We're ten this month and we celebrate that achievement in our Cover Feature. We take a look, with your help, at Beijing then and now. We recreated and juxtaposed your photos to see what has changed and what has not with the passage of a decade in this city that we all now call home.

Elsewhere in the magazine, we're sad to see the final column of Ich Bin Ein Beijinger. Kaiser has been enlightening us all on life in Beijing for a decade and while we're disappointed to see that end, we are excited to see what's coming next for the back page.

Want to travel around China but don’t have the money at the moment? Now’s your chance to plan your perfect China vacation and get it for free from Ctrip.

The China-based travel site's “Win Your Dream Vacation” contest ends this Friday. Ctrip judges will choose 20 itineraries, which will then be put to a public vote.

Now is the time to start thinking of how you would spend two weeks in China (starting and ending in Shanghai, and including up to four cities). To get you started, here are some ideas for all China travelers, from the newest wide-eyed tourist to the more traveled road-warrior looking for a new challenge.

The sharper among you have will have noticed that the September issue of the Beijinger is out now - you've been able to read it on Issuu.com since Monday but it's now on the streets too. This month's magazine is for the homesick amongst us as it offers a taste of home and also our desire to try new things, as we eat our way around the world in Beijing. We've been out for dinner with representatives of some of the various embassies in Beijing to find out what they miss from home and where in Beijing we can all try authentic national cuisine. Needless to say the British Embassy were not among the number.

Plans for Beijing’s largest hotel-to-be are out and I’m a little worried about the architectural trend hitting Beijing. The new hotel will not only look futuristic, but also contain plenty of the newest technology as well as housing an indoor 10,000 sqm rainforest.

New train regulations went into effect this week, so make sure to have the correct ID if you plan on any high-speed travel this summer, or the upcoming holiday weekend.

Traveling in China? Just want to stay in a Beijing courtyard like the one above? How about staying in that exact courtyard? Now's your time to do it for free. Wimdu.com, a new online platform that connects travelers and hosts by blending regular booking sites with couchsurfing, is giving away vouchers worth RMB 500 (which should be a two night stay) that can be used throughout China (and Bangkok, Seoul, Hong Kong and many other cities in between). Win, book, and stay for free on your next trip.