New Issue | Urban Geography May 2026: Yinchuan, the Lake City on the Frontier

2026 Issue 5 Table of Contents

Opening
Don’t Wait, Satisfy Now
Text | Tang Yixin

City Illustrated
City Feature
Yinchuan: A Lake City Beyond the Great Wall
Planning | Editorial Office
Cover Photo | Wang Xuechen
Ancient Capital of Western Xia
Two Thousand Years of Water Towns in the Northwest Hinterland
Text | Deshiyi

Grand Yinchuan
Rock Art and Water Sounds at the Foot of Helan Mountain
Text | Tang Rongyao

A Dream into the World of Wanderers
Joy and Richness in the Yellow Sand Ancient Fortress
Text | Yanshu

Eating in Yinchuan
The Ultimate Fresh Skillful Flavors Beyond the Great Wall
Text | Lü Dou

City Affairs
Text | Editorial Office

Academic Exploration
The “Hydropower Cradle” Epic Engraved in Stone
—Interpreting the Inscription of the Memorial Pavilion at Shizitan Hydropower Station
Text | Liu Yun

Urban Organic Renewal
Huaibei Old Power Plant 1969 Cultural Block
Old Industry Meets New Cyberpunk
Text | Imane

Landmark
Hangzhou National Version Museum
A Timeless “Song Dynasty Painting” Drawn from a Quarry
Text | Zhou Ying

Food Geography
The Steamy Depths of Southern Sichuan
Yibin’s “Thermophilic” Instinct
Text | Jingjia Wine

City 24 Hours
Hangzhou 24 Hours
The Ultimate Spring Flower-Chasing Guide
Text | Haizhu

Small Town
Concentric Circles Deep in the Mountains
”Kejia People” Who Defy the Map
Text | Bei Yuan

Traditional Village
The Village on the Rooftop
Six Hundred Years of “Yunnan’s Potala Palace”
Text | Ma Hengjian

Street
Shenyang Zhong Street
Four Hundred Years of Commerce on Northeast China’s First Street
Text | Xianglan

Global Travel
Passion for Havana
A Dreamlike Caribbean Melody
Text | Zhou Ting

Magazine-in-Magazine · Urban Discourse
Celebrity Interview
Finalist for the Shanhua Award
The Evolution of Artist Zhang Yaxi
Text | Zhou Weisha

City Reading
Taste on Jinyang
Text | Wen Meng

Nanjing’s Bookish Aroma
Text | Li Xiao

City Floating Over Provence
Text | Zhang Deqiang

Art Column
The Solitary Beauty in Porcelain
Text | Tao Ling

Urban Poetry
Slow Time (Poems)
Text | Yu Gong

• Feature *
  Yinchuan: A Lake City Beyond the Great Wall
  Planning | Editorial Office
  Photos | Wang Xuechen

Some say Yinchuan is a water town misplaced in the northwest. To the east, the Yellow River, carrying meltwater from the Tibetan Plateau, surges northward, tirelessly irrigating an oasis beyond the Great Wall for millennia. To the west, Helan Mountain stands like an iron backbone across the wilderness, holding back the Tengger Desert’s yellow sand and Siberia’s cold currents. Between the mountains and the river, seventy-two connected lakes once dotted the land, earning Yinchuan the nickname “Jiangnan Beyond the Great Wall,” a name passed from Han and Tang dynasties to today. Yet Yinchuan’s essence goes far beyond the gentleness of a water town.

Ancient Capital of Western Xia
Two Thousand Years of Water Towns in the Northwest Hinterland
Text | Deshiyi
Photos | Dan Xiang, Bai Li, Wo Niu Xian Sheng, Max on the Road, Rinnee, Wang Xuechen, Ci Zhixiang, Wu Hao

Mention the great northwest, and people think of endless yellow sand and boundless Gobi. Yet in the embrace of Helan Mountain, by the Yellow River, lies a favored “Jiangnan Beyond the Great Wall”—Yinchuan. Once a battle-hardened frontier garrison and the bustling capital of the Western Xia Dynasty, this land has now shed the scars of war and heavy industry, astonishing the world with its light elegance as an “International Wetland City.”

Grand Yinchuan
Rock Art and Water Sounds at the Foot of Helan Mountain
Text | Tang Rongyao
Photos | Ci Zhixiang, Tai Yang, Wo Niu Xian Sheng, Qiu Zehao, Max on the Road, Jiang Zhibo, Wu He You Zhi Xiang Da Shu Shang, Yinchuan Contemporary Art Museum

From ancient rock art to modern exquisite paintings, from the chanting at Western Xia pagodas to the clinking of wine glasses, from the timekeeping sounds of Ming Dynasty drum towers to the cheers at Lanshan Park’s festivals and concerts, this city spans millennia, blending the clang of war with the warmth of art and daily life.

A Dream into the World of Wanderers
Joy and Richness in the Yellow Sand Ancient Fortress
Text | Yanshu
Photos | Su Su SOKEE, Zuo Jing, Meihe Manor, Bai Rui Yuan Yin Hong Zi Shu Gou Qi Zhuang Yuan, Shan Zhong Xiao Ba Wang, Chang Dao Bing Cha

The city towers of Zhenbeibu Fortress freeze the moment Zixia and Zunbaobao turn away, yet cannot lock up the wind and sand or stories flowing through Yinchuan for a millennium. Beyond the dreamscape of film, the majesty of Helan Mountain, the richness of wine, and the tranquility of goji berry fields weave an even grander tableau beyond the Great Wall.

Eating in Yinchuan
The Ultimate Fresh Skillful Flavors Beyond the Great Wall
Text | Lü Dou
Photos | Shu Yi, Zuo Jing, Lu Ruiting, Li Ruiqing, Liu Ruiqi (Eliauk), Shuang Fei Wan Qiu, Xiao K Mei Tian Chi Shen Me, Sha Hu Sai Shang Ren Jia Han Can, Yinchuan abounds in flavors that linger in memory. Tan sheep run, bighead carp swim, each a bold expression of freshness. A rolling pin stretches sand wormwood swaying in the Gobi wind into fine, long noodles. In the streets, the spicy, rich hotpot paste relies on Ningxia’s specialty horn peppers, making mouths water.

Academic Exploration
The “Hydropower Cradle” Epic Engraved in Stone
—Interpreting the Inscription of the Memorial Pavilion at Shizitan Hydropower Station
Text/Photos | Liu Yun

Beside the Shizitan Hydropower Station dam on Chongqing’s Changshou Lake stands a famous “Hexagonal Pavilion.” Originally named the Shizitan Hydropower Station Memorial Pavilion, also known as Premier Zhou Enlai’s Inscription Pavilion, it features a hexagonal, open gazebo structure, 8 meters high. Its base and pillars are built of stone and concrete, robust and heavy; the roof is concrete, with upturned eaves and corners, stretching gracefully; the eaves are designed with dynamic strength, blending traditional charm with commemorative solidity.

Urban Organic Renewal
Huaibei Old Power Plant 1969 Cultural Block
Old Industry Meets New Cyberpunk
Text | Imane
Photos | Yin Jilin, Chang Runze

In the 20th century, the Datang Huaibei Power Plant drove the city with electricity and light, supporting Huaibei’s massive power demands. In a more efficient, eco-friendly 21st century, how to keep the lingering warmth and coal-dust industrial memories from fading? The Huaibei Old Power Plant 1969 Cultural Block offers a perfect solution: protecting the old site with new construction, and designing new IP with ancient myths.

Landmark
Hangzhou National Version Museum
A Timeless “Song Dynasty Painting” Drawn from a Quarry
Text | Zhou Ying
Photos | Richard, Liu Ying, Wang Yaqi, Liu Guowei

Hangzhou has long been the epitome of Jiangnan culture, the culmination of literary tradition. Liangzhu Ancient City, as evidence of China’s 5,000-year civilization, is also a global treasure. Wenrun Pavilion, located in Liangzhu, Hangzhou, shoulders the mission of preserving national versions, blending Song Dynasty charm with uniquely Eastern aesthetics and cultural depth, reborn from an abandoned quarry.

Food Geography
The Steamy Depths of Southern Sichuan
Yibin’s “Thermophilic” Instinct
Text | Jingjia Beer
Photos | Jing Yan, Zuo Xiaoduo, Xu Haiyang, A A A A Yun Ya, Li Yu Xi Xi, Ou Xiaoyi

In Yibin, cuisine is a product of the struggle between people and geography. Affected by river fog and intense dock labor, local carbs shed their gentleness, using extreme heat to combat damp cold. Whether it’s the broth-free “burning noodles” or the ice- and fire-tempered rice noodles, both are the city’s toughest food symbols.

City 24 Hours
Hangzhou 24 Hours
The Ultimate Spring Flower-Chasing Guide
Text | Haizhu
Photos | Ai Fa Feng Jing De Xiao J, Ru Feng, Shan Chuan He, Shao Ting, Xue Yunhao

Spring has a reckless freedom, arriving with an “I’m here whether you’re ready or not” attitude, bursting with life. Scenes outside windows compete for attention; passersby try to tell peach blossoms from apricot. A thought rises: a brief escape from buildings to see the chaotic beauty of spring. And into mind comes a city where even green belts are carpeted with tulips—Hangzhou. They say flowers wait for no one, but luckily, in Hangzhou, you can chase blooms 24 hours a day.

Small Town
Concentric Circles Deep in the Mountains
”Kejia People” Who Defy the Map
Text | Bei Yuan
Photos | Shan Gou, Lai Chengwei, Si Shi Bu Huo, Mi Ni An

In the dense mountains of southeastern China, the borders of Fujian, Guangdong, and Jiangxi provinces blur into forests and crisscrossing valleys. What looks like clear administrative divisions on the map becomes a warm natural cradle here. With open arms, it welcomes the Kejia ancestors who migrated south, brewing across several provinces with earth and chimney smoke a long, enduring memory.

Traditional Village
The Village on the Rooftop
Six Hundred Years of “Yunnan’s Potala Palace”
Text | Ma Hengjian
Photos | Zhan Junxian, Ma Hengjian, Du Yi

In Yunnan’s Chengzi Village, over a thousand earthen houses are arranged neatly, each rooftop connected to form natural walkways, allowing you to traverse the entire village from the roofs. This 600-year-old Yi ethnic village, with its layered, earth-toned ancient architecture, draws countless photography enthusiasts with their cameras in tow.

Street
Shenyang Zhong Street
Four Hundred Years of Commerce on Northeast China’s First Street
Text | Xianglan
Photos | Qiu Tianhao, Tong Lin, Li Yuege, Zhang Hongtao

Built in 1625, Shenyang Zhong Street is China’s first commercial pedestrian street, ranking among the top ten famous commercial streets, honored as “Northeast China’s First Street.” On Zhong Street, trendy brands collide with classic architecture, time-honored local foods evolve with new flavors, and visitors wander, eat, and savor…

Walking down the street, you can catch a glimpse of the modern charm of “Shengjing.”

Travel Around the World*

Enchanted by Havana

A Dreamy Melody of the Caribbean

Text by Zhou Ting

Photos by Zhou Ting, Wang Xiwen With Jay Chou’s “Mojito” playing, driving that pink vintage car through the streets of Havana became a dream for countless people. Havana, this sparkling gem of the Caribbean, holds both the romance Hemingway wrote about and a “living museum” frozen in time, where historic buildings stand silently like poetry, while you’re surrounded by music everywhere as you stroll.

Layout by Zhou Weisha

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