Listen to more on Beyond Beijing

[Metro & Sports]

• According to the Global Times, more than 1,000 Chinese tourists will descend to New York City on a shopping spree during this year's Spring Festival.
• China shut down 16,000 more web sites deemed as pornographic as of Wednesday this week. All the sites were found to contain lewd or pornographic content during the latest crackdown.
• The Beijing Times reports that Tang Ruoxin, the former president of China Export & Credit Insurance Corporation or SINOSURE, has been sentenced to 14 years in jail for abusing his authority and taking bribes worth 3.55 million yuan, which is the equivalent of 520,000 US dollars.
• Chinese experts have called upon domestic charity donors, especially celebrities and corporations, to make their donation commitments in a more prudent manner, to ensure commitments are fulfilled.
• The Winter Olympics is set to kick off Friday in Vancouver, Canada. One thing on people's minds is which national sports icon will serve as the final torchbearer. There is speculation that hockey hero, the Great One- Wayne Gretzky may take on the duty but organizers have so far remained mum.
• Meanwhile- the International Olympic Committee announced today that Nanjing, capital city of East China's Jiangsu Province, will host the second edition of the summer Youth Olympic Games in 2014.

[Chinese Story] White Cloud Temple (Baiyun Guan)

Taoism, or Daoism, is China's indigenous religion and the best place to get a feel for this religion is at Baiyun Guan, known in English as White Cloud Temple is Beijing's oldest and liveliest Taoist temple. CRI travel reporter Mary King has recently popped down to Muxidi to check the temple out. Hi, Mary, and welcome to the show. So maybe first to kick off, what can you tell us about Taoism 胠or Daoism?

[Cultural Voyage] How are China's Expats Getting Ready for Chinese New Year?

Anticipation is building for the 2010 Year of the Tiger, so Saturday night, while those in the West are picking out last-minute Valentine's Day chocolates, Chinese families will be feasting together and launching fireworks. So how are foreigners in China celebrating, and what are they looking forward to most?

[Cultural News]

• It's time for our weekly cultural news roundup, in which we review the country's major cultural events over the past week.
• With the approach of Spring Festival, various Chinese cultural activities are taking place around the country. The Chinese mainland and Taiwan launched their first joint lantern fair in Nanjing on Thursday, two days before the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday.
• Renowned Peking Opera master Mei Baojiu will lead a stellar cast and present Homecoming of a Phoenix on Sunday at Mei Lanfang Theater, a must see for hardcore fans of Peking Opera.
• The Discovery Network Asia, a branch of the world-leading non-fiction media company, Discovery, has recently announced the release of its non-fiction adventure TV program, "Man vs. Wild: China," during the Spring Festival holiday.

• Zeng Yike, a 19-year-old rising singer, criticized for singing out of tune and lacking musical talent, is proving to be popular among her own generation, despite the taunts.
• Dr. Dre sued the new iteration of Death Row Records on Thursday claiming the label failed to pay royalties and released a new version of his iconic album "The Chronic" without his permission.
• The annual Good Vibrations festival promoted by Sydney A-lister Justin Hemmes has been rocked by the last-minute cancellations of two headlining acts.
• HBO has picked up the Kate Winslet-starring miniseries Mildred Pierce, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
  

[Strange News]

• A Tennessee sheriff's deputy arrested on a drunken driving charge wound up in a dog house before he was taken to the big house. The Kingsport Times- News reported the details of a Tennessee Highway Patrol arrest report, which said 47-year-old Samuel Bledsoe was kicking the windows of a trooper's cruiser on his way to a hospital for a blood test.
• In California, USA - Manhattan Beach police have arrested a man they claim tried to buy urine from boys at an elementary school. Sgt. Brian Brown said an 18-year-old man was arrested on Monday for investigation of annoying children. He remained jailed Wednesday on $150,000 bail.
• Police in Georgia say a 23-year-old man grabbed a baseball bat inside of a Wal-Mart and smashed 29 flat-screen televisions. Police in Lilburn near Atlanta have charged Westley Strellis with 29 counts of criminal damage to property in the second degree. Witnesses tell police he grabbed a metal baseball bat from the sporting goods section Wednesday, walked to the electronics department and destroyed the TVs on display.
• TV host and DJ Tim Shaw is to be locked in a steel box no bigger than a wardrobe for up to a month in a bizarre solitary confinement challenge.
  

[Real China] Oil Braised Beef

Oil braised beef is a typically spicy Sichuan dish. What's not typical is that you cook the spices into the beef by pouring hot oil over the beef after it has already been placed in a serving dish. Thomas Rippe joins Candice Lee and Chef Zhang in the kitchen to see how it's done.