2013: The Year in China (88 images)

A Chinese man sells chirping crickets housed in small bamboo cages for about a buck (US$1) in downtown Beijing on August 20, 2013. China's slowing economy has become a focal point for China's new leaders as, historically, increasing unemployment has led to social instability. UPI/Stephen Shaver

A Chinese boy eats corn in Beijing on August 20, 2013. Despite China's reputation for being a country that mainly subsists on rice and noodles, corn is also one of the top grains, or agricultural staples, consumed across the country. UPI/Stephen Shaver

A Chinese woman dusts in a lingerie shop located above a sex shop in downtown Beijing on August 9, 2013. Once inconceivable for shops to both advertise and sell openly lingerie and adult toys a mere 15 years ago, China's major cities have embraced a cultural awakening due to its opening up in trade and Western entertainment. UPI/Stephen Shaver

Members of Northern China's Hezhen ethnic minority perform a traditional welcoming dance at a park in Fuyuan, a frontier town in China's northern Heilongjiang Province on August 4, 2013. The Hezhen are among China's vanishing ethnic minorities as development and urbanization pressures compete with traditional ways of life. UPI/Stephen Shaver