Beijing

Rating:
Summary: More, much more, of Beijing
Review: At 422 pages, this book is more than double the size of most other guides to Beijing, and offers you detailed coverage not only of the magnificent remnants of imperial grandeur, but also of obscure, intriguing and sometimes even bizarre sights only mentioned in passing in other books, or not at all.

Historical and cultural material includes readable introductions to the lives of both the emperors and the ordinary people of the capital's hutong (alleys), as well as the foreign missionaries, military expeditions, diplomats, writers, and bon viveurs who preceded you to Beijing, and the Boxers who tried to kill them all. From articles on eunuchs and migrant beekeepers to the true history of the Great Wall and life in the hutong, there's more than enough to keep you diverted on the plane to Beijing and on long bus journeys into the surrounding countryside.

Immensely detailed practical information helps you decipher Chinese menus, buy tickets, avoid overcharging, pick the right hotels, haggle down the prices, and speak simple Mandarin phrases. Large, clear Chinese characters given for every sight help you make sure you're on the right bus or at the right place, from downtown teahouse, street market, and theatre, to countryside temple, village, or Great Wall site. The Chinese characters are also given for every hotel, street name, restaurant and even every dish mentioned in the text, and every word in Romanised Chinese is tone-marked to help you with pronunciation.

For independent travellers, the way to reach out-of-town sights by public transport is described in detail (even where the existence of such transport is denied elsewhere), and reviewed accommodation includes numerous new rock-bottom and low-budget guesthouses overlooked even by the most hardened budget guide, as well as a selection of good-value and reliable hotels in all other price ranges. There are detailed descriptions of Beijing speciality foods and street snacks, of restaurants serving Chinese regional cuisine, and for those wanting a change, the latest foreign-inspired alternatives of all nationalities. Shopping information includes guides to lesser-known street markets and introductions to buying everything from antique furniture, through kites, bird cages, silk, and cameras, to stamps and communist memoribilia.

Dozens of day trips take you to out into leafy countryside to see a deer park, hidden caves, elaborate tomb complexes (much more than just those of the Ming), multiple Great Wall sites, and more. Further afield there's full coverage of neighbouring Tianjin with its industrial backstreets and antique market, Shanhaiguan where the Great Wall reaches the sea, and the eloborate imperial summer resort of Chengde.

I first visited Beijing in 1986, and this is the guide I wish I'd had. It has taken 18 months to prepare including nearly a year in and around the capital , and if you like your descriptions of sights to be more than 'may be worth checking out' but also more than a list of historical facts, or if you want to have enough practical information to be confident of travelling around and out of the city by yourself, then this is the book for you.

You're welcome to join a free Internet mailing list called 'The Oriental-List' which I run for the discussion of travel in China and its near neighbours. To subscribe, write to [e-mail]

Rating:
Summary: AN ESSENTIAL BOOK EVEN IF YOU ARE ON A "PACKAGED" TOUR
Review: Because Beijing is really the "historic heart" of China, everyone seems to go there. If you do, this book is an "absolute must" to carry along whether you are on a "packaged tour" or an experienced independent traveler!

It not only contains the most complete information on Beijing I've seen in nearly 20 years of frequent trips there, but it goes far beyond to cover things of both interest and necessity. Ever wonder how the Chinese language works? This books tells you in a very understandable fashion. The information on how to travel, what to take, etc. is excellent even for the most experienced China traveler.

The information on where to stay, eating out, and entertainment is 42 pages of "pure gold." It is worth the cost of the book just for these very well detailed recommnedations!

The maps are generally functional, but in case you do not have 20/20 vision, you'll will want to also pick up one of the free ones at your hotel desk for larger dimensions.

This is undoubtedly the best guidebook for Beijing, and will set the standard for future imitators to follow.

Rating:
Summary: AN ESSENTIAL BOOK EVEN IF YOU ARE ON A "PACKAGED" TOUR
Review: Because Beijing is really the "historic heart" of China, everyone seems to go there. If you do, this book is an "absolute must" to carry along whether you are on a "packaged tour" or an experienced independent traveler!

It not only contains the most complete information on Beijing I've seen in nearly 20 years of frequent trips there, but it goes far beyond to cover things of both interest and necessity. Ever wonder how the Chinese language works? This books tells you in a very understandable fashion. The information on how to travel, what to take, etc. is excellent even for the most experienced China traveler.

The information on where to stay, eating out, and entertainment is 42 pages of "pure gold." It is worth the cost of the book just for these very well detailed recommnedations!

The maps are generally functional, but in case you do not have 20/20 vision, you'll will want to also pick up one of the free ones at your hotel desk for larger dimensions.

This is undoubtedly the best guidebook for Beijing, and will set the standard for future imitators to follow.

Rating:
Summary: AN ESSENTIAL BOOK EVEN IF YOU ARE ON A "PACKAGED" TOUR
Review: Because Beijing is really the "historic heart" of China, everyone seems to go there. If you do, this book is an "absolute must" to carry along whether you are on a "packaged tour" or an experienced independent traveler!

It not only contains the most complete information on Beijing I've seen in nearly 20 years of frequent trips there, but it goes far beyond to cover things of both interest and necessity. Ever wonder how the Chinese language works? This books tells you in a very understandable fashion. The information on how to travel, what to take, etc. is excellent even for the most experienced China traveler.

The information on where to stay, eating out, and entertainment is 42 pages of "pure gold." It is worth the cost of the book just for these very well detailed recommnedations!

The maps are generally functional, but in case you do not have 20/20 vision, you'll will want to also pick up one of the free ones at your hotel desk for larger dimensions.

This is undoubtedly the best guidebook for Beijing, and will set the standard for future imitators to follow.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding and necessary travel book
Review: I've been a member of the author's mailing list, ORIENTAL-LIST, for several year, which discusses in-depth travel questions about China. The book has lots of very practical advice as well lots of historical information, written in a highly personal style, sometimes with lots of humor. The book provides Chinese characters next to each of the tourist sights writeups (no thumbing for an appendix). Also good English-Chinese mini-dictionary in the back which could be helpful if you're lost or confused just point to a name. I'm traveling to Beijing and Shanghai this summer with a large 2 large choruses and I plan on buying this in bulk for tour members.

Rating:
Summary: Peter Neville-Hadley's guide is one of the best out today!
Review: Peter Neville-Hadley is an impressive and informative travel writer. His candid "call 'em like they are" inspires a reader’s confidence in his evaluations. He is the anthesis of the insipid writer that panders to commercial tourism.

He is blunt about short comings both in the society and Chinese travel industry. Regarding the government dominated tourist industry he warns you about Chinese museums and historic sites. He writes, "Misrepresentation of the true history of a site is commonplace, whether for political reasons intended to exalt the communist party or put the blame for destruction wholly on foreigners." Regarding hotels, he is in the government's face, "China's star rating system in not to be trusted." And the police fair no better, "Police in China are generally to be avoided... they are assumed to be corrupt until proven honest". My experiences during my recent trip to China provided him correct. You can trust his recommendations and reflections on both Beijing and China.

I enjoyed his view points on both history and current affairs. His small section on 'Christianity in China' is excellent and he is blunt about how Christian influence was stunted significantly in China because of its own short comings, he writes "It was the Christians own squabbling that lost them their influence in China." He is skeptical about the hype over China’s emergences as the dominating superpower, he states, "Stories of China becoming the biggest economic superpower in the near future are greatly exaggerate". He goes on to give his reasoning.

He has an 'A to Z' section (climate and crime, media, money and museums, police and post offices, etc.) that is very useful and interesting. Neville-Hadley has the wonderful ability to condense 1000 years of history into ten pages that you can digest and understand; a talent that so many other travel writers can’t do in twice the space.

His accommodations & restaurant guides are accurate and good. Also, if you want to get rate quotes or make a hotel reservation on line he is one of the few guides that lists email addresses and web sites. The section on Internet Resources stands out among Beijing guides. Neville-Hadley goes on to give you some of the best web site available. To weak areas stop this guide from rating five stars. Maps. Well written evaluations and recommendation and good, useful maps comprise 70% of a travel guide’s worth. The maps in this book are difficult to use and not as helpful as maps found in other guides.

Next, and a weakness of many guides, is the absence of a hotel/ restaurant index. Thus, if you have a recommended restaurant you have to go through all the list 'til you stumble across it or miss seeing it completely

However, if you are going to just visit Beijing and the surrounding areas, and if you enjoy reading an opinionated travel writer then Peter Neville-Hadley's guide is one of the best out today (the other being 'The MINI Rough Guide to Beijing by Simon Lewis' - see review). Highly recommenced 4 ½ stars.

Rating:
Summary: Peter Neville-Hadley's guide is one of the best out today!
Review: Peter Neville-Hadley is an impressive and informative travel writer. His candid "call 'em like they are" inspires a reader’s confidence in his evaluations. He is the anthesis of the insipid writer that panders to commercial tourism.

He is blunt about short comings both in the society and Chinese travel industry. Regarding the government dominated tourist industry he warns you about Chinese museums and historic sites. He writes, "Misrepresentation of the true history of a site is commonplace, whether for political reasons intended to exalt the communist party or put the blame for destruction wholly on foreigners." Regarding hotels, he is in the government's face, "China's star rating system in not to be trusted." And the police fair no better, "Police in China are generally to be avoided... they are assumed to be corrupt until proven honest". My experiences during my recent trip to China provided him correct. You can trust his recommendations and reflections on both Beijing and China.

I enjoyed his view points on both history and current affairs. His small section on 'Christianity in China' is excellent and he is blunt about how Christian influence was stunted significantly in China because of its own short comings, he writes "It was the Christians own squabbling that lost them their influence in China." He is skeptical about the hype over China’s emergences as the dominating superpower, he states, "Stories of China becoming the biggest economic superpower in the near future are greatly exaggerate". He goes on to give his reasoning.

He has an 'A to Z' section (climate and crime, media, money and museums, police and post offices, etc.) that is very useful and interesting. Neville-Hadley has the wonderful ability to condense 1000 years of history into ten pages that you can digest and understand; a talent that so many other travel writers can’t do in twice the space.

His accommodations & restaurant guides are accurate and good. Also, if you want to get rate quotes or make a hotel reservation on line he is one of the few guides that lists email addresses and web sites. The section on Internet Resources stands out among Beijing guides. Neville-Hadley goes on to give you some of the best web site available. To weak areas stop this guide from rating five stars. Maps. Well written evaluations and recommendation and good, useful maps comprise 70% of a travel guide’s worth. The maps in this book are difficult to use and not as helpful as maps found in other guides.

Next, and a weakness of many guides, is the absence of a hotel/ restaurant index. Thus, if you have a recommended restaurant you have to go through all the list 'til you stumble across it or miss seeing it completely

However, if you are going to just visit Beijing and the surrounding areas, and if you enjoy reading an opinionated travel writer then Peter Neville-Hadley's guide is one of the best out today (the other being 'The MINI Rough Guide to Beijing by Simon Lewis' - see review). Highly recommenced 4 ½ stars.