A new Chinese release about Madagascar more than a travel guide

Lemurs, a species native to Madagascar, are featured in the new book Madagascar: Dream Island at the End of the World.[Photo provided to China Daily]

To Shu Xiaoyun, an editor at the publishing house, Yang seemed to be the right person to do the book.

"He has written several books and translated foreign literature. He loves and knows how to capture moments with the camera, and he understands that country well," Shu says.

The book is much more than a travel guide.

It contains a detailed introduction of different aspects of life in the country, with beautiful and precise accounts－be they on the baobab trees or the ring-tailed lemurs native to the island.

The book can shape an understanding of the island's culture, folk customs and traditions.

Yang writes that the baobab can provide a shelter for locals.

He also talks about the tradition of surnames on the island: They tend to be different, even within a family.

For example, Yang says he knows a girl whose surname is Rasoamianoka (an aristocrat enjoying a good life), while her mother's surname is Rasoamiadana (peaceful life of a "cute person") and her father's is Ralambomanana (lord who owns pigs).

Yang spent months taking photos, visiting residents and collecting facts and stories for the book.