China Books - Page 12

Cantonese: Lonely Planet Phrasebook

Chiu-Yee Cheung, Tao Li, Lonely Planet Phrasebooks

Amazon Price: $8.99 List Price: $8.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Lonely Planet Amazon Marketplace: 18 new & used starting at $2.25

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A nice pocket phrase book, but not perfect 4 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

A lot of info is stuffed in a small pocket book. It will come handy if you are traveling to Hong Kong or Guang-dong region.

Here are a couple of things I liked about this book. (1)Even though the fonts are small (ie, pocket version), it does not strain the eyes because the paper is high quality and has colored fonts. (2)It has the Chinese characters next to all the sentences and words. I did not like those books which only have the romanization but no Chinese characters. In the long run you really need to know them. (3) A lot of handy info/words/sentences included (such as 'I want to make love to you' or 'leave me alone!')

I have two reasons I can't give 5 stars: (1) It does NOT use the 'standard Yale' system--it could be a little confusing to those using Yale system (why don't everybody just use Yale???);(2)right off the bat, I noticed couple typo/errors in the pronounciation--I would use as a reference, not the primary source of studying Cantonese.

Overall, I think it is a worth investment, especially considering the low cost.

Editorial Review:

More kick than kung fu, more bite than dim sum, more astounding than a Hong Kong skyscraper - Cantonese is the trademark of success for your travels in southern China. Get talking and put your best face forward with this phrasebook in hand.

Our phrasebooks give you a comprehensive mix of practical and social words and phrases in more than 120 languages. Chat with the locals and discover their culture - a guaranteed way to enrich your travel experience.

China South Map

Nelles Verlag

Amazon Price: $10.95 List Price: $10.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Nelles Verlag Amazon Marketplace: 13 new & used starting at $7.12

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Excellent Maps 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This series of maps is the best that I have seen for China for westerners. I suspect that their maps for other areas are just as good!

Editorial Review:

Up-to-date, detailed, highly readable relief map with major roads and point-to-point distances clearly indicated. Tourist information provided. Easy to fold. Includes special maps: Central Hong Kong 1:15.000, Guilin 1:30.000, Macau 1:22.000

In the Empire of Genghis Khan

Stanley Stewart

List Price: $16.50 By: Flamingo Amazon Marketplace: 18 new & used starting at $3.83

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

condescending 3 out of 5 stars.
4 of 6 people found this review helpful.

I couldn't put this book down, i'll give it that much.
But I didn't always like it.

While the narration was interesting and fairly well written, I felt a rather pretentious, and quite condescending air as he described the mongolians he met and the way in which they lived.

The descriptions of the landscape were beautiful, but it didn't hide the fact that I felt Stewart was narrating a 4 star resort tour of the country instead of what was supposed to be a wilderness trek.

None the less, I found it hard to put it down, maybe because the historial bits were so intruiging.

Editorial Review:

Vivid, hilarious, and compelling, this eagerly awaited book takes its place among the travel classics. It is a thrilling tale of adventure, a comic masterpiece, and an evocative portrait of a medieval land marooned in the modern world. Eight and a half centuries ago, under Genghis Khan, the Mongols burst forth from Central Asia in a series of spectacular conquests that took them from the Danube to the Yellow Sea. Their empire was seen as the final triumph of the nomadic "barbarians."In this remarkable book Stanley Stewart sets off on a pilgrimage across the old empire, from Istanbul to the distant homeland of the Mongol hordes. The heart of his odyssey is a thousand-mile ride, traveling by horse, through trackless land. On a journey full of bizarre characters and unexpected encounters, he crosses the desert and mountains of Central Asia to arrive at the windswept grasslands of the steppes, the birthplace of Genghis Khan. (6 x 9, 288 pages)

Moleskine City Notebook Beijing

Moleskine

Amazon Price: $12.21 List Price: $17.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Moleskine Amazon Marketplace: 30 new & used starting at $10.14

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Editorial Review:

The first guidebook you write yourself.

Home to the 2008 Summer Olympics Beijing is also a center for Chinese culture arts cuisine and history. Your Moleskine City Notebook Beijing can accompany you from the middle of the Forbidden City to the top of the Temple of Heaven and onwards.

The Key Map summarizes the overall city layout showing the sequence and location of the 21 zone maps. Map of the subway system and list of stations plus the alphabetical street index of the zone maps. Blank pages for jotting down notes and recording your thoughts stories and memories. 32 removable sheets for loose notes and exchanging messages. 12 translucent sticky sheets for tracing your routes and sharing itineraries. A 96-page tabbed archive for collecting everything that matters most and keeping it at your fingertips. The first 6 tabs are printed; the others await your personalization with the enclosed adhesive labels. Inside there is an insert dedicated to the Olympic Games area with the locations of the venues.

Each pocket sized Moleskine City Notebook is thread bound and has a cardboard bound cover with rounded corners acid free paper three bookmarks an elastic closure and an expandable inner pocket that contains the Moleskine history.

Wild China: Natural Wonders of the World's Most Enigmatic Land

Phil Chapman, George Chan, Gavin Maxwell, Charlotte Scott, Kathryn Jeffs, Giles Badger, Hannah Boot

Amazon Price: $19.77 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Yale University Press Amazon Marketplace: 37 new & used starting at $14.45

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Editorial Review:

Within the vast borders of China, a dazzling array of ecosystems and habitats are found—wildlife habitats so diverse as to nearly stagger the imagination. From the world’s loftiest mountain peaks to grass steppes that stretch beyond the horizon, from steaming jungles to wide deserts that fluctuate between searing heat and numbing cold, China’s landscapes inspire awe and curiosity.

 

Wild China leads the reader across China’s landscapes and through thousands of years of history. Organized geographically, the book starts with a description of the Chinese heartland, then ventures on to cover the Manchurian forests, deserts, and grasslands; the Tibetan Plateau; tropical and temperate forests; limestone hills and caves; and the crowded coasts. The impact of China’s 1.3 billion people on the nation’s landscapes is also explored. The book concludes with a gazetteer and travel tips.

(20080808)

Laminated Beijing Map by Borch (English, Spanish, French, Italian and German Edition)

Borch

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Berndtson laminated map of Beijing great and durable! 5 out of 5 stars.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful.

During my ten day trip to Beijing The Berndtson laminated map of Beijing was indispensable. It is easily readable and has many of the best places to visit highlighted which made planning each day easy. The map not only survived the hundreds of openings and refolding, but is still in excellent shape for many future uses. The only shortcoming is that the map does not cover the outlying areas of Beijing. It covers only the central area out to the "third ring road"

Editorial Review:

Folded laminated street and travel map, in color. Scale 1:24,000 / 1:75,000. Legend includes sights, museums, theatres, monuments, Chinese temples, Buddhist temples, churches, mosques, ruins, caves, cable railways, beaches, hospital, golf courses, subway, international/regional airports, airfields, hotels, markets, nature reserves. Includes inset map of Central Beijing (1:24,000), Beijing Public Transport, Beijing & Region (1:200,000), Forbidden City (1:6,000), Summer Palace (1:6,000), Fragrant Hills Park (1:13,000), Badaling (1:18,000). Locates Olympic Venues. Extensive index. Top 30 sights.

Chinatown New York: Portraits, Recipes, and Memories

Ann Volkwein

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

A lush, vibrant tour of the people, places, and food that make New York City's Chinatown one of the world's most celebrated neighborhoods

In the mid-nineteenth century, Chinatown became the destination for a small influx of Chinese immigrants. Today, this area boasts the largest concentration of Chinese in the Western Hemisphere, abundant fruit and fish markets, restaurants, and sundry retail shops. Chinatown New York provides a cultural snapshot of this captivating place through its immigration history, temples, associations, the stories of people who have lived there for generations—and the recipes that make its food scene buzz.

Ann Volkwein invites readers to explore Chinatown's hundreds of restaurants, which stretch to the outer reaches of the neighborhood. Readers can enjoy fresh seafood cooked Hong Kong-style at Fuleen Seafood, see a colorful array of dumplings at Dim Sum GoGo, or stop by Hop Kee Restaurant, a subterranean space on Mott Street and a neighborhood classic. And the book is peppered with mouthwatering recipes from neighborhood chefs—including Longevity Noodles, Shredded Duck Dumplings, and Shanghainese Pork Shoulder.

Next, Volkwein encourages the reader to celebrate the Chinese New Year with neighborhood residents by attending the parade down East Broadway and preparing a symbolic feast. From there, she takes readers to Ten Ren Tea, where owners Mark and Ellen Lii brew the perfect cup of tea in a traditional ceremony. Of course, no visit to Chinatown would be complete without a walk through its food markets and herbal medicine stores, and the book demystifies some of the more unusual finds, from dried bird's nest to opo squash.

Filled with vibrant photography that captures the vitality of this fascinating place, Chinatown New York offers readers an intimate look at one of New York's most beloved neighborhoods.

Coming Home Crazy: An Alphabet of China Essays

Bill Holm

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Interesting story of a teacher abroad 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Travel stories of teaching English in Japan have almost become cliche. This story of a Minnesota native visiting China was an interesting twist on the old tale. It was enjoyable reading Mr. Holm's adventures (and misadventures - those always seem to be more enjoyable) as he visited China, before it became the trendy Giant. Another variance on similar works is that Mr. Holm is a legitamite college teacher, not a wanderer using education as a visa. As such, his writing is of a higher quality than usual in the genre, and he is more qualified to speak of the educational environment.

The observations are very interesting, especially as the experience is pre-Tienneman. What's it like when the communists are watching your every move? How do is teaching in China different than Minnesota? What's Mickey Mouse mean over there? The story meanders in alphabetic manner, perhaps also suggesting that our trip memories don't always follow a linear logic.

As the title would suggest, the strongest pieces of the book are the chapters of the return. It is hard to identify personal tranformation in the midst of the journey. You notice it when you come home crazy.

Editorial Review:

Arranged by letter of the alphabet, with at least one entry per letter, these short pieces capture the variety of daily life in contemporary China. Writing about traditions that endure in rural areas as well as the bureaucratic absurdities an American teacher and traveler experiences in the 1980s, Holm covers such topics as dumpling making, bound feet, Chinglish, night soil, and banking. In a new afterword to the second edition, Holm reacts to recent changes. "Holm's view is entertaining, thought-provoking and touching. After reading his book, you won't look at the United States or China the same way." - Philadelphia Inquirer

National Geographic Traveler: China, 2d Ed.

Damian Harper

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

One of the most requested titles in our critically acclaimed Traveler series, this beautiful guide makes the vast enigma of China accessible to every visitor. Continuing the series' winning formula, this new edition combines in-depth, up-to-date descriptions with dazzling photographs, detailed maps, cutaway illustrations of renowned structures, and a wealth of useful travel tips. Organized by cities and areas, the book covers the best sites and attractions throughout the country. Highlights include the capital of Beijing; dynamic Shanghai; the fertile Yangtze region; Guilin and its fabled limestone pillars; the life-size army of terra-cotta warriors in Xi'an; Tibet; the Silk Road; Inner Mongolia; Hong Kong; and Macau—all prefaced by an elaborate introduction to the rich Chinese history and culture.

Wide-ranging sidebars discuss Chinese deities, the Taiping Rebellion, Tibetan Buddhism, and other interesting topics, while guided tours include a bike ride from Tiananmen Square and a cruise along the Yangtze River. An extensive travel planner details practicalities such as where to find the most gracious hotels and the best Peking duck and dim sum.

Veteran travel writer Damian Harper, who has a degree in modern and classical Chinese and an intense interest in Chinese philosophy and poetry, brings authoritative guidance and a strong individual voice to this refreshing new look at a timeless land as it prepares to host the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2010 World Expo.

Modern China: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

Rana Mitter

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Editorial Review:

China today is never out of the news: from human rights controversies and the continued legacy of Tiananmen Square, to global coverage of the Beijing Olympics, and the Chinese "economic miracle." It is a country of contradictions and transitions: a peasant society with some of the world's most futuristic cities, an ancient civilization that is modernizing as rapidly as possible, a walled-off nation that is increasingly at the center of world trade. This Very Short Introduction offers an indispensable starting point for anyone who needs to quickly know the themes and controversies that have shaped modern China. Prize-winning author and scholar Rana Mitter examines the modern history, politics, economy, and thriving cultural scene of contemporary China, and its relations with the wider world. This lively guide covers a range of social issues from the decline of footbinding and the position of women in society, to the influence of television and film, and the role of the overseas Chinese diaspora. It covers many prominent figures as well, such as the Communist leaders, the last emperors, and prominent writers and artists throughout China's history.