Jolly Joe always arrived at my neighborhood at exactly half past noon. The clang (叮当声) of the bell on his red and black truck was then the sweetest sound in the world. Brightly colored stickers advertising his amazing kinds of treats could be found on all sides of his truck. The whole neighborhood would magically come to life.

    Holding a nickel (五分镍币), I'd run to the back of the vehicle, where children were already gathering. Jolly Joe would jump out of his truck, the sun shining on his hair. He was an older man, short and round, with a pleasant face and a welcoming smile.

    I don't know how, but he knew us all by name, as well as which treats we preferred. My favorite was the Buried Treasure. By eating all the ice cream, you'd discover the treasure inside: a lion, a dog or even a funny clown — printed onto a plastic stick.

    When it was finally my turn, he'd put his arm deep inside one of the boxes, and pause (停顿) for a moment, a puzzled look crossing his face. Then, suddenly, he'd pull it out: the Buried Treasure! I couldn't wait to enjoy the cool, sweet ice cream.

    As quickly as he arrived, it was time for Jolly Joe to go, leaving behind laughing, excited children with sticky hands and faces. Soon the sound of his clanging bell would slowly disappear in the distance.

    I always hated to see Jolly Joe go, because I knew the rest of the day would be as hot and boring as before. But I took some comfort in knowing that the next day he'd come round the corner at half past noon and once again spread his magic.

    The Golden Week holiday is extended to eight days this year, as China is ushering in two celebrations from Oct. 1-8: the National Day holiday and the Mid-Autumn Festival. For anyone who is looking forward to a rich，refreshing break, here is a list of some of the best exhibitions, shows and things to do around town.

    Qin and Han dynasties relics

    The Civilizations of Qin and Han celebrates the glory of those two dynasties (221BC-AD2 20) in terms of politics，economics, arts and culture. More than 300 artifacts from 30 museums and institutions across the country are on show through Nov. 30.

    If you go: 9am-5pm till Nov. 30. Closed on Mondays. National Museum of China, 16 East Chang'an Avenue，Dongcheng District. 010-6611-6188.

    Ticket: Free

    Artist's solo show

    Chen jialing is a famous artist who seeks a connection between Chinese and Western art, and demonstrates and excellence for industrial design. He will show dozens of ink paintings. Also on display are his designs on decorative works for daily use, such as bowls, furniture pieces and silk scarves.

    If you go: 9am-5pm till Oct. 8. National Museum of China, Dongcheng District.

    Walk into a time machine at Beijing Design week

    This year's Beijing Design Week is allowing visitors to explore exhibitions and events in the city's Dashilar area with interactive experiences that apply advanced technology, such as virtual reality.

    By simply scanning a QR code, information about exhibitions and events linked to the Beijing Design Week being held in the Dashilar Design Community pop up. Push the button on your screen, and you can use the “time machine” to wander through the alleys of Dashilar area.

    If you go: till Oct. 5.3 Cha'er Hutong, Xicheng District.

    Ticket: Free

    German designer Weingart's works at Beijing Design Week

    Another highlight of this year's Beijing Design Week is an exhibition from German - born designer Wolfgang Weingart. His style has been influencing designers and his students in Europe and North America over the years.

    If you go: 9:30 -5:30 pm till Oct 8. Art Museum of Central Academy of Fine Arts, 8 Huajiadi South Street, Chaoyang District 010-6577-1018.

    Ticket: 120 yuan per person.

    I passed a man on the way home from work this evening. He was walking down the side of the carriageway. Actually, he was walking unsteadily. I slowed down wondering whether to stop and give him a lift, at least down to a safer part of the road. I couldn't be sure but he appeared to be quite drunk. I pulled over and watched him in my rear-view mirror. He was obviously well-oiled. A truck turned sharply to avoid him at one point-he didn't appear to care.

    Having stopped now, I thought I might as well wait for him to reach the car. Five minutes went by and he reached the car. My windows were down, and I asked him if he wanted a lift. He indicated that he was going to the next town, just out of my way, but not far enough to put me to trouble. So in he got.

    “Sorry, I'm really quite drunk. I've been at a funeral. My family are all really out of it, so I decided to walk home. I'm Ryan,” and he offered me his hand. I drove and we talked. He told me he'd buried his uncle, and that he was a traveler.

    He called me brother and offered me his cool shades as payment. I declined and said the joy was in the giving. Three times along the way he told me that, “Whatever we put out there comes back to us. Something good will come to you for picking me up.” We told each other where we came from, the places we've lived, and how we both ended up here. He apologized again for being so drunk. “Anywhere around here is fine for me,” he said. So I dropped him at the next junction. We shook hands and spoke each other's names again.

    I felt as if I'd been blessed somehow. I think I have been.

    Suppose you are a visitor in the land of Mongolia, some friends ask you to eat with them. What kind of manners do they want you to have? They want you to give a loud burp (饱嗝)after you finish eating. Burping would show that you like your food. In some countries, if you give a big burp, you are told to say “Excuse me, please”.

    In many places people like to eat together. But in some parts of Polynesia it is bad manners（没礼貌） to be seen eating at all. People show their good manners by turning their backs on others while they eat.

    What are manners like in an East African town? The people try not to see you. They are being polite. You may see a friend. He may not see you at all. If you are polite, you will sit down beside him. You will wait until he finishes what he is doing. Then he will talk to you. Manners are different all over the world. But it is good to know that all manners begin in the same way. People need ways to show that they want to be friends.

    In ancient Egypt, a shopkeeper discovered that he could attract customers to his shop simply by making changes to its environment. Modern businesses have been following his lead, with more tactics(策略).

    One tactic involves where to display the goods. For example, stores place fruits and vegetables in the first section. They know that customers who buy the healthy food first will feel happy so that they will buy more junk food later in their trip. In department stores, the women's shoe section is generally next to the women's makeup section: while the shop assistant is going back to find the right size shoe, bored customers are likely to wander over and find some cosmetics they might want to try later.

    Besides, businesses seek to appeal to customers' senses. Stores notice that the smell of baked goods encourages shopping, so they make their own bread each morning and then fan the bread smell into the store throughout the day. Music sells goods, too. Researchers in Britain found that when French music was played, sales of French wines went up.

    When it comes to the selling of houses, businesses also use highly rewarding tactics. They find that customers make decisions in the first few seconds upon walking in the door, and turn it into a business opportunity. A California builder designed the structure of its houses smartly. When entering the house, the customer would see the Pacific Ocean through the windows, and then the pool through an open stairway leading to the lower level. The instant view of water on both levels helped sell these $10 million houses.

    Throughout our daily lives, we have known plenty of people and will know more. But how can we tell if someone is trustworthy? In a paper published recently in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, researcher gave us the answer.

    The researchers asked 401 adults from the United States to fill out a questionnaire measuring their guilt-proneness (内疚倾向) in different situations as well as several other qualities, and then play a short online game. In this game, Player 1 is given $1, which they can choose to give to Player2. Any money given to Player 2 is then automatically increased to $2.50. Player 2 can then decide whether to keep all of the money or behave in a trustworthy way by returning a portion of the money to Player 1. The researchers found more guilt-prone people were more likely to share the money with Player 1. Actually, in follow-up studies, guilt-proneness predicted trustworthiness better than other personality qualities the researchers measured.

    Why might guilt lead to trustworthy behavior? The researchers found people who were guilt-prone also reported feeling an obligation to act in ethical (合乎道德的) and responsible ways while interacting (互动) with their partners in the game. People who are guilt-prone tend to avoid engaging in behavior that might harm or disappoint others. If they do something bad, guilt encourages them to try to make things right again.

    Then, how can we use this research to ascertain whether someone is trustworthy? "One way to do this might be observe how they respond to experience regret," lead author Emma Levine, assistant professor at the University of Chicago Levine, explains. Another way is to ask them to describe a difficult dilemma they faced in the past, suggests co-author Taya Cohen, associate professor at Carnegie Mellon University. This is particularly effective, Cohen and her colleagues have found, because it allows us to see if they're concerned about the effects their actions have on others.