4 of the best films to watch this May

Hypnotic

A police detective, haunted by the disappearance of his daughter, is investigating a series of bank robberies when a mystery woman tells him about “hypnotics” (催眠): people who have the power to make others believe and do anything they want by uttering a single sentence.

Released on 11 May in Australia, 12 May in the US & 26 May in the UK

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3

It’s been six years since Marvel’s second Guardians of the Galaxy film came out. Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket, Drax and their buddies are finally back for more interstellar adventures — and this time they’re up against the High Evolutionary.

On general release from 5 May

The Little Mermaid

Another month, another live-action-and-CGI remake of a classic Disney cartoon. But this one is more distinctive than most, because a black actress, Halle Bailey, is playing the title character, who was white in the 1989 cartoon. Besides, the film’s director, Rob Marshall argues that his version of The Little Mermaid is progressive in other ways, too. He said she and Prince Eric “really teach the world about prejudice and about breaking down barriers and walls between these two worlds.” Also, there’s a singing crab.

On general release from 24 May

Fast X

Yes, it’s the tenth film in the unstoppable petrol head series, which started with indie (独立小公司的) thrillers about undercover cops and illegal street racers and now becomes global science-fiction blockbusters featuring some of Hollywood’s biggest names.

On general release from 17 May

Recently, a new kind of tourism has sprung up in China. Called “special forces style tourism”, this new kind of tourism features visiting multiple scenic interests in a short, intense period, most often on weekends. It is popular among college students, reported China Youth Daily.

Yu Yinghua in Shanghai Lixin University of Accounting and Finance is one of them. The 22-year-old started the “special forces style tourism” in March after she was attracted by such experiences of Xiaohongshu travel bloggers. “Confined (限制) to the school for almost three years due to the pandemic, I’m hungry to take trips in my spare time, ” said Yu.

Her most recent trip was to Shanghai. Starting at 7 am, the 22-year-old visited nine local attractions. “That day, I walked almost 30, 000 steps,” Yu said, “Though it’s a bit tiring, I enjoy the trip as much as day-long trips. It still lets me have a better understanding of the cities I go to. ” Unlike Yu who traveled in nearby cities, Chen Junjun, a doctoral student at Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, CAS, likes to travel far to rid herself of academic stress. In April, the 24-year-old took a two-day trip to Xi’an, Shaanxi. During her trip, she visited all the scenic sites in the city. “Juggling (同时应付) many academic responsibilities, such a trip can bring a splash of color (一抹亮色) to my stressful life!” said Chen.

Even so, the 24-year-old added that such tourism is not suitable for everyone. Chen said that it’s labor-consuming as visitors have to see as many sites as possible in an intensive (集中的) period. To some extent, such trips are not flexible as long-day trips in which you can change your plan as you like. “Thus, abundant energy and a calm mind are necessary for special forces style tourism, ” said Chen.

Chinese American novelist Li Yiyun’s The Book of Goose has won the 2023 Faulkner Award for Fiction. “Li’s The Book of Goose is a dazzling, conventions-defying, nuanced (细腻入微的) novel, ” stated the judging panel for the 2023 Faulkner Award.

First published in September 2022, The Book of Goose is “a gripping, heartbreaking new novel about female friendship, art, and memory, ” which is centered-around a conversation between its two protagonists (主角) — Agnes and Fabienne — on happiness and tells the story of how two French girls succeeded in literature after World War II.

Back in her younger years, Li did not believe she would go on such a long literary journey. After graduating from Peking University in 1966 with a bachelor’s in biological science, she went on to do her master’s in immunology (免疫学) at the University of Iowa, US.

What changed her life track was a community writing workshop in 1997. Without any specific purpose in mind, Li attended the workshop just like how “a housewife goes to a yoga class for fun,” she recalled. After that, Li began to write stories in English although she had no prior writing experience. Her efforts later earned her international fame.

Now Li is the author of several works of fiction, including Must I Go, Where Reasons End, and A Thousand Years of Good Prayers which have won her many awards. Her works have been translated into a dozen of languages, with some even adapted into movies.

Her works touch on thought-provoking topics like humanity, emotion, and cultural divide. She has been dedicated to exploring the different sides of human nature and the conflicts people face when coming from different cultural backgrounds. “I do have an interest in imperfections,” Li said. “I think it’s a matter of character. Some people will say I like the dark side, that is also character. ”

On March 22, 2021, the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution published a new map of undiscovered species. This new effort is of great importance for Walter Jetz, study co-author and professor at Yale University, US. “At the current pace of global environmental change, there is no doubt that many species will die out before we have ever learned about their existence and had the chance to consider their fate,” Jetz said.

Less than a decade ago, Yale researchers mapped out the world’s life. Now Yale researchers have launched a more ambitious project—creating a map where life has yet to be discovered, whose goal is to help support biodiversity discovery and preservation across the globe. According to the researchers, “Conservative estimates suggest only 13 to 18 percent of all living species have been identified, although this number could be as low as 1.5 percent.” In the rapidly changing global environment, researchers are racing against time to discover the remaining species.

“Finding the missing pieces of the Earth’s biodiversity puzzle is therefore crucial to improve biodiversity conservation worldwide, ” explained lead author Mario Moura, a biologist at the Federal University of Paraiba in Brazil. The map of undiscovered life is based on a model estimating where unknown species likely exist today, based on environmental, biological and sociological factors. The most undiscovered vertebrates (脊 椎 动 物) —potentially 25 percent of all future discoveries — are expected to live in Brazil, Colombia, Madagascar and Indonesia. Tropical forests in these countries need protection and we must stop deforestation (滥砍滥伐) rates to discover our biodiversity.

“It is a fascinating project that allows us to better know biodiversity patterns on the planet, ” Moura said. “We hope to motivate citizen scientists and biodiversity enthusiasts about the importance of species discovery and ignite (点燃) discussions and agreements from those responsible for decision-making and conservation planning.”

In recent years, research studies in some top US universities have found that emotional intelligence or EQ (short for Emotional Quotient) can be the key to success.     16    

The concept of EQ was first introduced by psychologist John Mayer in the 1990s and has gained popularity since, especially because it is said to be something that you can try to improve. Someone who has high emotional intelligence can supposedly build strong relationships, achieve their goals and manage their emotions.     17     The following studies just prove that.

    18     A 2020 Harvard study, published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, investigated the social skills of team players. They did this by grouping volunteers and giving them a variety of tricky problems. They then compared the top individual performers.     19     The first reason was that they were very good at recognizing the emotional state of their teammates. The second was that they helped to improve their team’s performance through motivation.

When doing research on links between emotion-understanding ability and risk-taking, a 2012 Yale study found emotional intelligence is critical to decision making.     20     The results revealed that participants with a high awareness of why they felt under pressure managed to keep a clearer head and were less likely to take risks. Being able to understand and manage emotions is a key part of EQ.

So, if you’re trying to succeed, work on your emotional intelligence and it may just make a difference!