[debbie]

The weather is grey and hazy for much of the year. The traffic crawls. Yet, somehow, it's perennially popular. It could be the relaxing teahouse culture, with favourite local institutions serving the same brews for generations. Maybe it’s the lively nightlife, with a strong showing of local partiers bolstered by large student and expat populations. It might just be the food, famous both for heat and history even in this cuisine-rich culture. Then there are the pandas, both the live versions in the local Research Base and the plush, stuffed, cuddly kind for sale on seemingly every street