China seems to be caught in a conundrum. While the country has over the past decade actively encouraged the rapid rise of its middle class, it now seems quite unsure of how to handle the trappings that go with their newfound wealth.

First the hammer came down on billboards advertising luxury brands — from March they were banned in Beijing and Shanghai, as well more regional cities such as Chongqing, for promoting a lifestyle that was both “unhealthy” and “foreign.”

And now the authorities have again turned their attention to the pastime that was at one stage banned for being too “bourgeois” — golf.

We’ve seen Maserati, Audi, McLaren, Range Rover, Lexus, and even Shelby come out with their own bicycles in the past few months.

And now German automaker Mercedes is getting ready to jump on the bandwagon. In its Bike Selection 2011, Mercedes-Benz combines uniquely attractive and innovative frames with dedicated, up-to-date components.

For those racing on the road, Benz has a carbon fiber bike weighing 6.8 kgs. And for those doing terrain biking, Mercedes-Benz has a mountain bike that is powered with Fox Racing F32 RL suspension fork with a DT suspension strut on the rear.

Manchester United has been named as the world’s most valuable football club for the seventh year in a row by Forbes.

Real Madrid is again No. 2 with a value of $1.45 billion, followed by Arsenal at $1.19 billion; Bayern Munich at $1.1 billion; and Barcelona, with a value of $975 million.

It uses data on income streams such as broadcast rights, sponsorship and sales of tickets and merchandise.

The island nation of the Maldives is poised to build a floating golf course and convention centre in what could be the first of a series of futuristic off-shore developments designed to confront the threat of global warming.

The government has asked a Dutch firm to investigate the feasibility of developing a number of facilities that would be located among the 26 main atolls.

The artificial floating islands will incorporate technologies such as water cooling, water desalination, and the use of floating solar blanket fields.

Sports fans are well catered for by a new hotel design which popped up in China this month — shaped like a ping-pong racket.

The wacky design, which will reportedly be built in the city of Huainan, in East China’s Anhui province, is perfectly modelled on an upside down table tennis racket and is designed to be built in a planned Olympic park.

The detail of the 150-meter design is impressive — even down to the handle at the top (designed for sightseeing) and the rounded windows of the guestrooms which resemble the rubber surface of the racquet.

McLaren has teamed up with US bicycle manufacturer Specialized to create an aerodynamic road bike called the Venge.

The racing road bicycle has been designed by Chris D’Aluisio and features an aerodynamic frame built entirely out of carbon fibre.

The launch took place at the Formula One team’s HQ, two days ahead of Milan-San Remo, where Mark Cavendish will ride the bike for the first time in competition.