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"It is considered to be a book of geological and cultural popularization. People can get to know geographical features of many places and how the local culture and customs have developed due to the geological conditions."

The book introduces 16 places in China, classified by their terrain. Each place is introduced through its features, accompanied by explanatory passages and beautiful photos.

"Generally, the book describes places in China from the highlands to the flatlands, from the wild to the urban," says Geng, who now heads a 20-odd team that operates Institute for Planets.

Geng points out the necessity for publishing this book: "Chinese people do not have enough understanding of Chinese geography.

"We had less clarity about China's geographical conditions until New China was established in 1949, when many research teams were organized to explore the geographical conditions. And only after that, in the 1980s, we started to have the technological means to show the results."