Now, by going to war against Spain in the Pacific and the Caribbean, and by establishing what it thought of as a stepping-stone to the China market, the United States had abandoned its own splendid isolation and thrown itself into the worldwide struggle.

NPR: 'Folly of Empire' Offers Critique of U.S. Imperialism

The carrier said late on Monday that it had signed a preliminary cargo joint-venture agreement with China Southern Airlines, a stepping stone into the Asian market.

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In China, marble is called Dali stone.

WSJ: Inside the Home and Studio of Ye Yongqing

Its active ingredient is arsenic salt, which is derived from arsenic stone, not unique to China but long used to treat fevers, depression and arthritis.

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It was interesting a few months ago when Burberry lowered expectations for 2012 on the back of a slowdown in China and the shares dropped like a stone.

CNN: Burberry's new face: Romeo trends it like Beckham

Huang Haibo, an executive at China Mobile, stressed the two companies have so far only made preliminary contact, without anything set in stone, yet, but noted they hope to bring the iPhone to China.

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"We had a tech guy in Macau who was able to set the stone, which to this day has never left China, " Hughes said.

CNN: $15 million iPhone shows off rare black diamond

"This dates from the 13th century, when the Mongols ruled China, " Chang said as he stopped to admire a stone bridge with no railings.

WSJ: Ancient Village Rises in Shanghai; The Shock of the Old

China's building is unmistakeable because its entrance is graced by a pair of stone lions.

BBC: So remote, it could pass for Mars

Started during the Tang Dynasty and later expanded by Zhu Yuanzhang, the first Emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368 to 1644), the stone wall extends more than 13.7km and is the most complete city fortification to have survived in China.

BBC: China��s ancient capital rises again