the Beijinger

If the Drum and Bell Tower area were a person, they’d be a skittish, elderly worker constantly worrying about whether or not they will be fired. "Surely seniority counts for something?" they fret.

Well, after years of will-they-won’t-they debate about demolishing the hutongs that surround the towers, it looks like the pink slip is finally in the mail.

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.

We’re still waiting for things to get back into full swing around here, but that means you have some time to: 1) take some photos to try and win a month or two’s rent money, 2) catch up on web news like the accusations of Han Han not being a real writer and China getting snubbed at the Oscars, and 3) sleep. If you don’t like those ideas, you can get your fill of more movie screenings, and aspiring thespians: don’t miss a workshop teaching you how to audition for the stage.

We’ve already got a glimpse of Warren Buffet and Shaquille O’Neil on China’s New Year’s gala but they aren’t the only international acts that graced the stage. While Buffet’s song choice probably confused Chinese and foreigners alike, the next song set is full of KTV-worthy tunes just waiting to be sung along to.

Tickets went on sale yesterday for Capital M’s Literary Festival. The restaurant’s fortnight of talks on writing, food and travel begins on February 25, which also serves as the unofficial kick-off date for Beijing’s book-based festival season. Here's a rundown of what to expect, where to purchase tickets, and the novelists, journalists, memoirists and adventurers who will be showcased at the Capital M Literary festival.

It's been a while since we told you to savor anything. To ease you back into it, we've ramped up the visuals. We promise to point you to some great long-form journalism next time, but for now, here's a set of China-related slideshows to feast your peepers on.

Pleco, a New York-based company who specialize in developing tools to learn Chinese, have announced a new iPhone feature that looks like it will be invaluable, not only for those learning Chinese characters, but for anyone who lives here and isn’t fluent in reading Chinese. The feature uses the iPhone camera to look at and “read” Chinese characters through an Optical Character Recognition system. There’s no need to take a photograph – you just point you camera and the app provides an instantaneous definition.

One of the best parts about staying in Beijing over Chinese New Year is the chance to attend the temple fairs. Food stalls serve up goodies from chuan’r to cotton candy, while carnival games let you shoot, throw or guess your way to a bundle of cuddly stuffed animals. This year, expect plenty of dragon paraphernalia as well. All you have to do is pick which ones to go to and work on your pitching arm in the meantime.

The official holidays for 2012 have finally been announced. Who doesn’t love a mandatory day off? Especially when you're asked to work on the weekends (around a seven-day work week) to “earn” those vacations. If you’re wise, you'll take advantage of the time off for a trip home or beach holiday. Here are the dates so you can start planning.