Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #131073 in Books
• Published on: 2005-08-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 672 pages

Synopsis
The guides that show you what others only tell you! From the enigmatic Terra-Cotta Warriors to the buzzing nightlife of Shanghai discover the real China with this essential guide. Explore the Great Wall and China's other breathtaking sites through the unique cutaway maps and 3D models. With tips on where to enjoy the best Peking duck and Tsingtao beer, this is one takeaway you'll never want to forget!

Customer Reviews

Bamboozled? buy this one
Firstly, this is a very chunky guide but then China is a vast country, so at the price of heaving this around in your bag, you'll have a comprehensive, lavishly illustrated book which contains chapters on all of the provinces with lots of information on the larger cities, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong etc as well as their surrounding areas.
The front of the book is divided into sections which give a marvelous introduction to the country - for example, Landscape and Wildlife, Arts, Architecture, Religion and Philosophy, History (including a dynasty timeline) and more.
The back of the book contains many pages of practical information, including accommodation, travel arrangements, places to eat etc.

The main attraction of the eyewitness books are their fantastic illustrations which really bring a country to life before you've even traveled. For a two week trip covering Shanghai, Xi'an and Beijing I found this guide to be superb.

Stunningly Crisp Photos, Useful Info, Very Heavy
If it's photography you like, this is a good choice. There are lots of glossy shots here for the eye to fawn over. And, it must be said, quite a bit of data is on offer; stuff you won't find even in the text predominant guides. Another wonderful feature is the excellent site maps. The one of Yunnan Province's Dali Old Town looks almost three dimensional. There are only two drawbacks, really: there's not enough text to sustain you on those long train rides, and it weighs a ton. If a couple were going on a juant around the Middle Kingdom, the 'Eyewitness Travel Guide - China' would make an ideal second guide. You wouldn't have to wonder what the proper name of that gate-like structure in front of you was. You'd just look it up in "architecture" and know it was called an ornamental archway. Moreover, you could learn what all its bits and baubs were labeled as and what their purpose was. This is a book for the thinking traveller.

Troy Parfitt, author of Notes from the Other China - Adventures in Asia

useful
I like this guide, which is simple to use. But for serious travelers, this one is less insightful, which should be read along with this book: China's Global Reach: markets, multinationals, and globalization by a Chinese journalist George Zhibin Gu, which offers inside stories about Chinese business and politics.