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Whistle Stopper - Lonely Planet China
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List Price: $31.99
Our Price: $18.93
Your Save: $ 13.06 ( 41% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
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Average Customer Rating:   
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Binding: Paperback
Brand: Sheila Shine
Dewey Decimal Number: 915.1046
EAN: 9781740599153
ISBN: 1740599152
Label: Lonely Planet Publications
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 1028
Publication Date: 2007-05
Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications
Studio: Lonely Planet Publications
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Did the authors actually go?
Comment: I used this book only in Beijing and Shanghai, so I can only vouch for those two sections. The maps of Beijing were great, when they were there. Because the book appears not to have been copy edited, there are lots of references to more detailed maps there are not actually in the book.
Also, the Beijing section doesn't include some of the most interesting areas for tourists to visit. It seems like someone just did a google search on Beijing and listed the first few things that come up, regardless of their interest or relevance to tourists. A major park walking distance to the forbidden city surrounded by cafes, museums and excellent souvenir shops is simply not listed.
Shanghai was a little better.
It is a good book for dreaming though. I am keeping my copy so I can plan ahead for next trip. Before I actually go though I will be buying a different book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: China travel help
Comment: We are independent travelers who usually travel with Lonely Planet. China is changing so fast it is hard to keep any guide up to date, but the travel and site information here was generally accurate and very helpful. I was disapointed in some of the restaurant recomendations.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Death by Lonely Planet
Comment: An exceptional travel guide. Do not count on the prices being accurate but the big picture is spot on.
There are two problems with the Lonely Planet guide: it is too heavy for a traveler; it is on the banned books list in China (but my copy was not taken in my last two trips).
Death by Lonely Planet refers to guiding thousands of tourists to a once untouched spot. The Lonely Planet guide is a blessing and a curse.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Authors have little understanding of China; too much outdated information
Comment: I was born in China and lived there for more than 20 years. Since I moved to the States, I have traveled in China frequently on business and for family reasons.
I am planning a trip to China with the rest of my family who traveled in China only once in 2006. To help them organized for the trip, I was looking for a guide book. I browsed this book in a local book store. I was shocked to see that it contains so much value-judging commentaries about Chinese history, customs, government policies, etc. Unfortunately the authors seem to understand little about Chinese history, culture, politics, economy and business. Some of their commentaries are blatantly racist. In describing Chinese moving around in their own country (whether Tibet or Xinjiang), on their own free will, the book's use of "hordes" and "flood" is derogatory, if not plainly racist.
I do not intend to buy this book to brain wash my kids: They are going to China with an open mind and will be there to see with their own eyes and to judge on their own. Thank you very much.
I also found quite a few misleading information about some popular sites. Other readers have already commented on some of them.
So thanks to the authors for spending so much time on the commentaries and not enough time on providing accurate information for tourists, I am not buying this lonely planet.
Customer Rating:
Summary: It has everything
Comment: I used this book during my second trip to China in summer 2007. We did not take any organized tours. We used it in Beijing, Shanghai and Hunan province and we took its advice and avoided Shenzhen.
That out of the way, I found the book eminently useful. There is enough Chinese script in it to show a taxi driver where you want to go by pointing to the characters. Every place name has a set of Chinese characters you can point to. The maps are particularly useful (of course), but I thought they could have edited out some of the color pictures for more maps. Can't get enough maps in a travel book.
I did not really read this book until we actually landed in Beijing. From there it was pretty much a thing I could immediately pick up, figure out and use to get moving. The descriptions of things are acurrate.
I'm not sure why some reviewers are complaining that the descriptions are too short or simple. China is a massive country of 1.6 billion people over a huge land with dozens upon dozens of cities -- more detail would double the book's weight.
If you have to go to China (which I wouldn't really recommend) then you cannot go wrong with this book. It's a starting place, and a savvy travelor will find one of the millions of internet cafes available to look up more things in depth, or just ask questions of other travellers or hotel workers, shop clerks, waiters, etc. Anyone who wants more information than this book offers should just book an organized tour for their entire trip and have their hand held the entire time. Or better yet, take a cruise. Otherwise, this book will get you started and the rest is easy to figure out. It's very easy to travel around China. My first trip I didn't even use a book or a Chinese-Engilsh dictionary or even the internet.
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Editorial Reviews:
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Removes greasy film and water marks. Resists fingerprints and streaking. Preserves the surface against deterioration. Also works on Formica, porcelain, fiberglass, enamel, plastic, leather and furniture. USDA Classification A7. 12 cans per case.
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