Imaginative design, relevant articles help periodicals thrive in digital age. Jiang Xueqing reports in Beijing.

As global media moguls were slashing budgets and jobs last year, Zhu Xuedong, editor-in-chief of China Weekly, chose a different path and re-launched the magazine in a dynamic new format.

It was a bold move that bucked the international trend but the 43-year-old was more than confident that a "dignified, thoughtful and valuable" current affairs magazine would turn a profit.