China Renaissance of the Middle Kingdom by Charis Chan and Jeremy Tredinnick is a 424-page China travel guide with 150 color photos and 16 maps. Both Chan and Tredinnick are seasoned writers, and have written books and articles about China. Their collaboration, a thorough guide for travel to China takes the traveler from basic trip planning to World Heritage sites and literary excerpts in Chinese. The guide does not claim to be comprehensive, but it provides a good tool for the average tourist who would like to visit China's most famous destinations and attractions. The guide explains that the cities are divided into four categories: capitals, traditional, modern, landscape, and World Heritage sites, so that that tourists may easily find choice destinations. Although it is a reference book, this China travel guide is an easy read, written in casual conversational tone.
China, Culture and Capitals and the Terracotta Army
Cultural capitals are listed chronologically in the guide and are illustrated with maps and beautiful color photos of various destinations in China. Travelers can discover where they may find the excavation areas for the Terracotta Army in Lintong County. The guide describes what the tourists may see, while touring the capitals, but some details like hours that museums and sites are available, possible costs, and even specific directions are lacking. It is perhaps written with the pretence that although, many more people are beginning to travel China solo, most people will visit with a group or use the guide to create a personalized travel itinerary, and will then be shown to landmarks like the Great Wall of China, the Temple of Heaven, the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square by a guide.
It is true that a newcomer to China will benefit from a local guide or traveling in a group rather than chancing arriving at a destination and finding that it is closed or getting lost while searching for China's ancient tombs and temples. The guide does a good job in telling travelers the significance behind the landmarks and why they should be visited.
Beyond exploring Beijing and Shanghai
China Renaissance of the Middle Kingdom is a good overview of what to do and what to see in China. In fact, the book will make people who are only remotely interested in China, long to explore this ancient nation. The guide is well-organized and helps travelers explore cities in China as well as countryside through expeditions to China. This China travel guide, however, helps travelers go beyond Beijing and Shanghai, China travel to some of the remote areas that are now open to tourists. The book is not exhaustive in its information, but instead, gives travelers a good starting point so that they may narrow down their options and decide what they want to see during tours in China.
The Book in BriefTitle: China Renaissance of the Middle Kingdom
Authors: Chris Chan and Jeremy Tredinnick
Publisher: Odyssey Books and Guides, 2008
ISBN: 978-962-217-794-9
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