New Issue | Global Humanity & Geography May 2026: A Wild Narrative of South Africa

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2026 Issue 5 Table of Contents

Foreword

There’s No Standard Way to Travel

Text by Deng Wenqian

Cover Global Forum

The Geographic Background of Yangzhou’s Economic Rise and Fall During the Tang-Song Transition

Text by Han Maoli, Professor and Doctoral Supervisor, Center for Historical Geography Studies, Peking University

Diverse Values of People in the Spring and Autumn Period as Seen in Zuo Zhuan

Text by Wei Hongxing, Associate Professor and Master’s Supervisor, School of Humanities and Law, Yanshan University

Feature

South Africa’s Wild Narrative

The Ocean, the Farmlands, and All Creatures of the Wilderness

Planned by the Editorial Department

The Meeting of Mountains and Sea in Cape Town

The Legend of the Cape of Good Hope and the Crisis of Table Mountain

Text by Wang Ruoxi

Stories of the Garden Route

As Deep as the Scenery and Time

Text by Fang Xiaobai

The Kruger Grassland Epic

The Earth Whispers, Everything Walks

Text by Imane

Foremost Hotpoint

Post-Olympics Syndrome

How Did Milan Blow a Winning Hand?

Text by Mu Jin

Discovery

Exploring Xiahe in Gansu

Mountains, Ancient Roads, and the Chanting of the Tibetan Studies Academy

Text by Cai Wandong

Slow Life

Tsingpu Cultural Retreat

Returning to a Century-Old Tulou and Hakka Life

Text by Zhi Xin

Man and Nature

The Snow Leopard and the Tibetan Antelope

Nature Notes from the Changtang No-Man’s Land

Text by Zhang Lina

Vision21

The Beauty of Labor

The Lively World of People Around the Globe

Text by Hei Yuan

City Tale

Chaos in Port-au-Prince

History and Gun Muzzles in the Sea Breeze

Text by Li Huan

History

The Rise of the “Brute Dynasty”

How a Heroic Emperor Turned Tyrannical and Unpredictable

Text by Lu Qingli

Science

How Powerful Is the Electric Eel?

The “High-Voltage Line” from South America

Text by Zhang Jiasheng

Tidbits

Museum/Castle/Dialect/Alley

Frontline

Power Outage, Food Shortage, Road Blocked

A 72-Hour Emergency Survival Record in Genie

Text by He Xi

Exploring Bali’s Temples and Ancient Villages

Mysterious Dances Performed in the Human World

Text by Yoki Huang Yuanqi

Photo Essay

A Journey through Southern Xinjiang

The Most Beautiful Look of the Pamir Plateau

Text by Zhang Peng

Global Elegance

The Flower City of Da Lat

Bringing a Century-Old French Town to Vietnam

Text by Beryl

Column

Leisurely Laos

A Wandering Adventure in Luang Prabang

Text by Yang Biwei

The Spring and Autumn of Du’s Poetry

The Thriving Alders in Summer

Text by Xiang Yixian

Earth Poems

The Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon

Text by Yun Feiyang

Feature*

South Africa’s Wild Narrative*

Ocean, Farmlands, and All Creatures of the Wilderness*

Planned by the Editorial Department

Photos by Wu Shun, JOJO

A South African visa used to be a hurdle.

Before, for many Chinese tourists, getting a visa for South Africa meant long waits, and many gave up. But that’s a thing of the past. In September 2025, South Africa launched the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system, allowing Chinese tourists to submit applications on their phones with approvals usually coming within 24 hours.

The Meeting of Mountains and Sea in Cape Town

The Legend of the Cape of Good Hope and the Crisis of Table Mountain

Text by Wang Ruoxi

Photos by Wu Shun, Leos, Shi Mengqian, JOJO, Lyu Lin, Li Weilin

mezzotintfotolia, bennymarty, Feng Mingrui, Dmitrii

At the southernmost tip of the African continent lies a city shaped by two opposing forces. On one side is the Cape of Good Hope, where howling winds and monstrous waves tear apart and recombine the two oceans, once pushing countless sailors to the brink of death and earning the desperate cry of “Cape of Storms.” On the other side is Table Mountain, silent and enigmatic, with clouds and mist clinging to its summit all year round, like “God’s Dining Table,” yet harboring a crisis that threatens billions of years of ecological survival.

Stories of the Garden Route

As Deep as the Scenery and Time

Text by Fang Xiaobai

Photos by Qin Er, Feng Mingrui, Sister Liu, Li Weilin, Shen Haibin

Shi Mengqian, Wu Shun, Yu Yue, allan, Chirapriya

JJ van Ginkel, Forgetful Travel Photography World

The name “Garden Route” was born over 100 years ago. At that time, a South African tourism official named Charles Marais, while inspecting this coastline, was awed by the dense vegetation, wetlands, lagoons, and deep green mountains along the way. He used the term “Garden Route” to describe this green belt like a natural botanical garden—and from then on, the name has stuck.

The Kruger Grassland Epic

The Earth Whispers, Everything Walks

Text by Imane

Photos by Wu Shun, Li Weilin, Lyu Lin, Qiu Yi, CPO

Fokke Baarssen, morkdam, eunikas

Lowlands, heat, vitality. This is Kruger. This national park is like a living epic, recording humanity’s long transition from conquest to reverence, from arrogance to humility.

Foremost Hotpoint*

Post-Olympics Syndrome

How Did Milan Blow a Winning Hand?

Text by Mu Jin

Photos by bellyu, macroby, unsplash, Shetu.com

From turning away tourists to angering locals, what did this grand event leave behind?

Discovery*

Exploring Xiahe in Gansu

Mountains, Ancient Roads, and the Chanting of the Tibetan Studies Academy

Text by Cai Wandong

Photos by Ji Ao, Guanzizai Pizza, FJason

Sunset Rollercoaster, Wang Pengfei, Wang Wu’s Lu Feikuai

Chen Mei, Drive to the Distance, munettt, Yu Yigang

200,000 years ago, Denisovans lived here. Along the Daxia River, Tumen Pass, Bajiao Ancient City, Labrang Monastery—Xiahe, a civilization epic written on the plateau.

Slow Life*

Tsingpu Cultural Retreat

Returning to a Century-Old Tulou and Hakka Life

Text by Zhi Xin

Photos by Tsingpu Cultural Retreat

A century-old tulou, restored to its former glory. How did a homestay bring a 600-year-old Hakka ancient village back to life?

Man and Nature*

The Snow Leopard and the Tibetan Antelope

Nature Notes from the Changtang No-Man’s Land

Text by Zhang Lina

Photos by Suolang Renqing, Gesang Lenzhu, Shanbo Duoji, Guo Shaobin, Da Xiang

While organizing my Changtang nature notes and editing documentaries in the city, I often recall those afternoons spent stalking Tibetan antelopes on that desolate wilderness. Those life experiences in Changtang have quietly merged into my city life and work. Turns out, Changtang never left; it has entered the depths of my soul.

Vision21*

The Beauty of Labor

The Lively World of People Around the Globe

Text by Hei Yuan

Photos by Shui Dongqing, Li Weilin, Wu Pin’en, Zhang Peng, Guitafotostudio

In the early mornings of Southeast Asia, mahouts press their bare feet against the rough skin behind an elephant’s ear; on the grasslands of Mongolia, women milking reindeer lean into the does like approaching a harvest; in Indonesia, batik artisans fling freshly dyed cloth into the air, like a giant butterfly taking flight… And then there are the stilt fishermen of Sri Lanka, the bent carvers in Suzhou’s woodworking studios—yes, everyone is different, every kind of labor is different. It is these varied lenses that weave together the rich tapestry of human life.

City Tale*

Chaos in Port-au-Prince

History and Gun Muzzles in the Sea Breeze

Text by Li Huan

Photos by Brady, Shawn, airmaria

AlbertoHektor, unsplash, flickr

In the blue embrace of the Caribbean lies a city once hailed as a “pearl,” now turned into the “edge of hell.” This is Port-au-Prince, Haiti—when tourists walk out of customs, they might be greeted not by a warm sea breeze, but by the cold barrel of an AK-47.

History*

The Rise of the “Brute Dynasty”

How a Heroic Emperor Turned Tyrannical and Unpredictable

Text by Lu Qingli

Photos by Lu Qingli, All Things Visual, Infinite Creativity, Xuan Qing

From playing the fool to killing for pleasure, Gao Yang, founding emperor of the Northern Qi dynasty, took less than ten years.

Science*

How Powerful Is the Electric Eel?

The “High-Voltage Line” from South America

Text by Zhang Jiasheng

Photos by Danny Ye, Moonlight

In the dark shallows and muddy swamps of South America’s Amazon and Orinoco river basins lives a fish that defies human understanding—the electric eel. In appearance, the electric eel is just a slender, unremarkable freshwater fish, but with its unique “power-generating” ability, it is the undisputed top predator in freshwater ecosystems.

Frontline*

Power Outage, Food Shortage, Road Blocked

A 72-Hour Emergency Survival Record in Genie

Text by He Xi

Photos by He Xi, Wu Hua, Mystery Guest

Deng Wei, Chen Haobo, Gaotianshangliuyun723

On the ridge of Mount Genie, at 4,600 meters, a hiking trip suddenly veered out of control. Electronic devices “struck” collectively in the extreme cold, and an overnight blizzard erased the familiar world entirely. Power outage, food shortage, road blocked—under triple siege, the author and companions experienced the extreme tug-of-war between reason and collapse

From the eerie knocking at the door in the dark night to the desperate, life-or-death retreat, this is a profound record of human vulnerability and resilience.

Exploring Bali’s Temples and Ancient Villages

The Mysterious Dances Unfolding in the Human World

Text & Photos | Yoki Huang Yuanqi

It’s not just beaches and resorts! Dive into Bali’s ancient villages and temples to uncover a hidden realm where gods and demons dance together.

Photo Journal | Photographer*

A Journey Through Southern Xinjiang

The Most Beautiful Face of the Pamir Plateau

Text & Photos | Zhang Peng

In southern Xinjiang, colors bloom in the wilderness, life stands tall amid the sandstorms, and time flows silently.

Global Vista | Global Vista*

Da Lat, the City of Flowers

A Little French Town from the Last Century, Relocated to Vietnam

Text | Beryl

Photos | Xiaohéfàn, Bù Jiè Hǎi, aapsky, huythoai

NGOC BAO LE, Situo, unsplash, Shetu.com

Architectural fantasies, rustic mountain flavors, and the tastes of day and night—all tucked away in this Vietnamese mountain town.

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