China (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE) | 
|  | | | Title: | China (EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE) | | Author: | DK Publishing | | Publisher: | DK Travel | | Type: | Book / Vinyl Bound | | Publication Date: | 15 August, 2005 | | ISBN / ISBN-13: | 0756609194 / 9780756609191 | | List Price: | $30.00 | | You Save: | $0.60 | | Amazon Price: | $29.40 | |
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| Editorial Review / Publisher's Information:
Product Description
The DK travel guide helps you to get the most out of your trip to China, providing expert recommendations as well as detailed practical information. The opening chapter Introducing China maps the country and sets it in its historical and cultural context. Each of the seven regional sections is divided into area chapters that cover from one to three provinces each. Here you will find descriptions of the most important sights with maps, pictures and illustrations. Hotel and restaurant recommendations can be found in Travelers Needs . The Survival Guide contains practical information on everything from transport personal safety.
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Customer Reviews:
• A Must For Any Traveler 25 September, 2007
The eyewitness travel series is the book of choice for any travel. And the China version doesn't miss.
I traveled to China for vacation 2.5 years ago when I didn't have the Eyewitness guide. I got a good sense of my travels a the time by reading multiple books and asking my guide many questions.
However in my trip this year...I had the Eyewitness guide. It not only strengthened my understanding of the many places, events, and culture which I experienced 2.5 years ago...it prepared me to open my eyes to a whole new world when I traveled in 2007.
What sets DK apart is that it gives you not only practical information...But provide maps/pictures/illustrations which other's cannot present. And this is all that much important for the Western traveler where China is still in the process of fine tuning tourism and how sights are communicated to visitors.
I recommend Eyewitness guides not only for any vacation...but especially for travels to China.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A6I2ECNHIFH5W
• Beautiful And Somewhat Practical 09 November, 2007
My husband and I travelled independently around China for 3 weeks with this book and the Lonely Planet. We found that the beautiful photography helped inspire our choice of destinations, and the maps and illustrations helped us navigate once we were there. We especially liked the axonometric drawings with labels.
Although this book includes some practical information about the sites, the Lonely Planet was much more detailed in terms of how to actually get somewhere. I think it would be difficult to travel with only this book for guidance.
A few hotels and restaurants are recommended in the back of the book. This information would have been much more useful if the names were also written in Chinese. We often found ourselves in situations where we could not communicate with taxi drivers or hotel concierges, so we relied on pointing to places (with Chinese names) in guidebooks. Having the pinyin names didn't do us much good since our pronunciation and accents were not understandable.
- Reviewed by customer ID: AKT1BE40MS4S9
• Among Dk's Finest 19 October, 2007
DK has again produced a fantastic guide - this time for all of China. While it is not definitive, and in know way can be, it covers an amazinginly large portion of the country, in good detail, and with DK's signature photographs. I saw many pictures in here of places in China I'd never seen before, and made me want to explore more of the country. I hope they publish a new edition soon though, before the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A1U1ALQQMB6J22
• Wonderful Photos, Loads Of Detail 25 October, 2007
This was my first Eyewitness Travel Guide, and I must say that it's really quite good. Photos, photos, and more photos, and lots of great feature pages (language and script, landscape and wildlife - by region, and so on). Also, superb diagrams permeate the pages, like the one of Shanghai's Bund. You no longer have to match number 23 to the 23 in a list of microscopic place names on another page, nor will you realize later that what you thought was (for example) the Palace Hotel was really, say, the Chartered Bank of India. Also, this type of book is outstanding in that it will show you something you are unfamiliar with and explain it to you. Ever wondered what all the different components of a temple are called or what their purpose is? Go to the archictecture section and look it up.
I only have a couple of wee complaints. The map in the front would be much better if it were fold out and/or divided into provinces. Also, another map should be included to show rail lines and major roads without obscuring the provinces, etc. The two maps provided are OK, but you'll probably need other ones. Such a high quality book deserves better maps. Also, it's really very heavy, but I suppose that can't be helped. You'd have to be pretty adventurous to only use this guide book, but it would make an excellent supplement to a "traditional" one. Ideal for a couple. One can figure out where to stay, where the bus station is, etc., and the other can carry this volume and - in spite of the weight - be enlightened.
Troy Parfitt, author
- Reviewed by customer ID: A1XXSZCR3FAVAK
• An Ok Travel Guide But Really Much More 28 December, 2007
Trying to review this book is somewhat hard, technically it's a travel guide and as that its ok, but its really more than that. Its one of the best birds eye views of the major attractions in China. Kind of a Whats-What of China. Having been to China on several trips I can personally attest to the quality of the selection and information.
They Layout is organized by region, usually two provinces to a Chapter. You get a brief overview of the province, then it moves to 1-2 pages per location (maybe a city or a park) in that province. The information is a smorgasborg of text, photos and illustrations. It covers the major attractions and why they are significant. The photographs are stunning (if small by necessity). The information is both informative and concise. Its amazing how much stuff they've packed in there.
Sprinkled throughout the chapters are various shorts (1-2 pages) on Chinese history and culture. Again high level concise information but enough to get you started.
The construction of the book is way above your newsprint guides. Its got good binding, vinyl covers and slick glossy pages. Top notch.
The only thing I would knock it for is that as a travel guide its travel nuts and bolts (specific places to stay, eat, shop, train schedules, directions etc) is pretty weak. They have some information but it tends to be focused more on the high end stuff rather than the budget backpacker.
This book is best bought, used and enjoyed as a overall reference book on China for people who just want to know more. As a travel guide it is a good source of information to get you started, but its not where you'll finish. You'll want to look at other information and resources when it comes to the specifics of your journey.
So to Recap
Pros
Excellent Photos, text and diagrams
Well organized
Concise chocked full of info
Good quality printing and binding
Wide variety of information
Cons
Weak on travel specific information
Conclusion
A great book for someone thinking of a trip to china and wondering "what is there to see" as well as reference to China and its many highlights.
- Reviewed by customer ID: A1O4VYJPIK20V
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