DK Eyewitness Travel Guide China Paperback – June 21, 2016

I used the DK series on Europe when we took a 23 day tour of Europe. I read/reviewed the books before we went on the tours and they helped a lot so I didn't have a steep learning curve. This book in China doesn't disappoint. History, culture, sights, customs, people, ----all explained with fantastic photos and diagrams to help you visually perceive China. Money well spent if you are planning a trip to China. I, personally have been traveling to China over the last 12 years on an annual basis, spending about 4 to 6 months on each trip. I continue to find new places, new friends, new things to do. Most of you planning a trip to China will probably only do it once in a lifetime. Save yourself some grief, get this book so you can prioritize your time for an enjoyable journey to a beautiful country with friendly people and a colorful past. Make this your first China book!!!!!

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.

The book has a little heft to it (as in weight not dialogue) but the photos and insightful captions make it worth the carrying. It is more an intro guide than a map for an experienced Asian traveler. Much more an introduction and overview of the biggie tourist attrations (w/good pictures and great basic synopsis)than a treasure map to some hole in the wall establishment or practical contact information for reservations. It offers a great addition to any scrapbook. We took it on a group excurision and ended up passing it around to several others who showed great interest in browsing the pages and ultimately lent it to a couple of travalers who spent weeks following this text's advice for their day trips.

Very informative and beautifully illustrated. The maps could have been a little clearer, and you don't want to log this heavy book on your trip, but it really helps prepare for that trip to China.

I wanted to buy one book that would be good for my china vacation. After much research I felt this book would do the trick. And I was correct. A great book. Lots of information. Wonderful pictures and laid out well. I liked that I could research and also learn more about the sites that I saw. Also, there were maps and recommendations. Highly recommend this book for the traveler and DK books in general have a great reputation.

This book is probably the nicest guide book out there to look at, full of color pictures and interesting diagrams. Gives great context and snapshots of a city or town, breaking out the key places to visit. Where it comes up short is as a tool for traveling. Hotel and restaurant info is way in the back away and cumbersome to look up. Almost no info is provided on how to get around (busses, trains, flights) making it of very limited use while on the road. I now copy a couple pages to take with me and bring a Lonely Planet as a reference guide.

I've been a devoted fan of Let's Go (back in the 80's), transitioned to Lonely Planet (the 90's) and experimented with Rough Guides and Moon books for all my world travels. I shunned the glossy photo-rich books as being too short on valuable content and too heavy and thick to carry. But after reading all the site reviews, I bought this along with Rough Guide (also highly praised), and wow, I am a total convert. I am actually halfway through reading it cover-to-cover, and the photos are invaluable in helping us decide where to spend our free time in China. You won't be disappointed.

I bought this guide for my fiancee who is going to China as part of her MBA degree program. I wanted to find something that would help her to choose what to see out there between studies.This book found the sweet spot between informative and succinct. It was also filled with lots of images and useful nuggets of information which makes it more digestible.