There is apple vinegar sold widely in local supermarkets, convenience stores etc, next to all the other types of vinegar. It even has a picture of an apple on it, less than 10快 per bottle. It is very sweet though, sweeter than western cider vinegar.

You could try the novels of 余华 Yú Huá. He's a modern author with a clear, fairly direct style so you don't have to read torturous sentences or too much obscure vocabulary. I was looking at his famous novel 或者 huózhe 'to live' for class yesterday and it seems gripping and not too difficult. There's also a film version by 张艺谋 Zhāng Yìmóu. You can read chapter two here:

www-personal.umich.edu/%7edporter/sampler/tolive.html

余华 has also written a great memoir/reflection on China called 十个词汇里中国 or 'China in Ten Words'. I've only read it in English but it's fascinating. Not officially published in PRC though.

I need to buy some contact lenses, and the online supplier I used in the UK doesn't ship to China. Can anyone recommend a supplier? I found the English-language site www.lensproxy.com - has anyone used it?

(I previously used Air Optix by CibaVision).

It's less of a gym really, and more of a spare room where some dilapidated old equipment has been set up. There's a few dumbells, a few barbells, benches, one of those cable stations, a smith machine, and fixed-weight machines for the following: shoulder press, seated rows and leg press. That's it. There's a place to change but no lockers or showers.

If you walk down Wenhua Xiang from Wenlin Jie, the entrance to Yunda is on your right as you near the end of Wenhua Xiang (where it joins Yieryi Dajie). The building with the gym is on your right immediately as you enter the university grounds - it's next to the canteen. It's about 55 kuai for 13 visits, but there's no treadmill or bike, and it closes at lunchtimes and before 4pm on weekends. It is cheap though.