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From Amazon.co.uk
From Antarctica to Zimbabwe, if you are going there chances are Lonely Planet has been there first. With a pithy and matter-of-fact writing style, these guides are guaranteed to calm the nerves of first-time world travellers, while still listing off-the-beaten-path finds sure to thrill even the most jaded globe-trotters. Lonely Planet has been perfecting its guidebooks for nearly 30 years and as a result, has experience and know-how similar to an older sibling's "been there" advice. The original backpacker's bible, the LP series has recently widened its reach. While still giving insights for the low-budget traveller, the books now list a wide range of accommodations and itineraries for those with less time than money.

Just as the authors describe China as "massive and endlessly fascinating", so is the material they have collected in this guide--an important travellers' opus. The 200-plus maps feature keys in English and Chinese script, there are essential details on transport options, a 12-page Chinese arts section, and a useful feature on the Chinese language. --Kathryn True

Amazon.co.uk Review
From Antarctica to Zimbabwe, if you are going there chances are Lonely Planet has been there first. With a pithy and matter-of-fact writing style, these guides are guaranteed to calm the nerves of first-time world travellers, while still listing off-the-beaten-path finds sure to thrill even the most jaded globe-trotters. Lonely Planet has been perfecting its guidebooks for nearly 30 years and as a result, has experience and know-how similar to an older sibling's "been there" advice. The original backpacker's bible, the LP series has recently widened its reach. While still giving insights for the low-budget traveller, the books now list a wide range of accommodations and itineraries for those with less time than money.

Just as the authors describe China as "massive and endlessly fascinating", so is the material they have collected in this guide--an important travellers' opus. The 200-plus maps feature keys in English and Chinese script, there are essential details on transport options, a 12-page Chinese arts section, and a useful feature on the Chinese language. --Kathryn True --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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History books often claim that China is the world's oldest surviving civilisation. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover

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China (Lonely Planet Country Guide) by Damian Harper £9.49

The Rough Guide to China - 4th Edition by David Leffman  (2)  £11.99

Beijing (Lonely Planet City Guides) by Damian Harper  (3)  £5.99

China's Southwest (Lonely Planet Country and Regional Guides) by Damien Et Al Harper £11.19

The Rough Guide to China (Rough Guide Travel Guides) by David Leffman £13.29

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13 Reviews 5 star:  (3) 4 star:  (3) 3 star:  (2) 2 star:  (3) 1 star:  (2)           Average Customer Review (13 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   29 of 29 people found the following review helpful: 2005 Edition terribly out of date and misleading to boot, 12 Jul 2006 By  R. Bowley "Rob" (Vietnam) - See all my reviews    This review is from: China (Lonely Planet Country Guide) (Paperback) I have literally (yesterday) just left China after spending 2 months there using the latest Lonely Planet edition and really believe I would have had a much better time if I hadn't chosen this book. I appreciate that China is changing at an incredible rate, but much of the information is clearly up to 10 years out of date (2005 edition remember). The only changes from the previous edition appear to be different photos and a better map. Its not just that's its out of date though, it was also misleading in many cases. The supposedly best hostel in Guixhou province had a tap over a stinking bathtub for a shower and a toilet that did not flush (nice owners though)! Other examples: Lonely Planet: Dali in Kunming is the only place to get away and have a holiday from travelling. Reality: You will be harassed every minute you walk down the street by traders and people trying to sell you Marijuana. It's a tourist Mecca for Chinese and foreigners alike. Lonely Planet: Longsheng in Guanxi is the centre of a colourful mix of local Dong and Miao minority people. Reality: The only colour you'll see is the pink lights advertising the ladies of the night that line the streets. It's a very modern city that would not have matched a description like that in the last 15-20 years. (Another recent guidebook we saw had a much more accurate description) Another criticism is that the information on Tibet is sparse as they want to sell you their Tibet guide book (The latest Rough Guide to China had at least twice as much on Tibet). They also plug their Mandarin Phrase Book in the language section. I appreciate you might think that this sounds like whinging, but I have been travelling for over 9 months now and used many guidebooks in that time. What I do not appreciate is publishers bringing out new editions with so little new or updated information. Their only motive is to sell more books. I strongly suggest researching and comparing any travel guide book before you buy as you can't change it easily once you're away and certainly do not just go for Lonely Planet because they're the biggest.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this)   34 of 36 people found the following review helpful: LP China Guide, 15 Dec 2002 By  Toasted Sheep (UK) - See all my reviews As someone who is doing a degree in Chinese and has just returned from China, having spent the past eleven months living there, I have to say this is the best travel guide available to help the backpacker find their way around. Between myself and my friends - who also lived in China for the same period of time - we had a cumulative collection of practically every single travel book written about China, and we came to refer to the Lonely Planet travel guide as 'The Bible' as it was so superior to the other travel guides we saw. That's not to say it is perfect - some things are have since gone out of date (Nothing new in China as things change so fast there), and it does stick to the tourist trail a little too much, but it is probably the most comprehensive of the guides I have seen. (However, going off the tourist trail is not so easy unless your Chinese is pretty good.) The Lonley Planet phrase book is also invaluable as it is clearly laid out and presented to the reader I could not have survived my first few months in China without it.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (