Whether you travel for business, pleasure, or a combination of the two, the ever-popular "Culture Shock!" series belongs in your backpack or briefcase. Get the nuts-and-bolts information you need to survive and thrive wherever you go. "Culture Shock!" country guides are easy-to-read, accurate, and entertaining crash courses in local customs and etiquette. "Culture Shock!" practical guides offer the inside information you need whether you're a student, a parent, a globetrotter, or a working traveler. Each "Culture Shock!" title is written by someone who's lived and worked in the country, and each is packed with practical, accurate, and enjoyable information to help you find your way and feel at home.
This book has many interesting chapters, the author is knowledgeable there a valuable information in his book. Especially when I read about the history of china, in this chapter the author started to talk about the emergence of the civilization and ended up with architectural achievements of China, there is a lot of pictures that related to the topics which can help the reader to have a better understanding and make them more involve in what they read, also this book would be a good reference for people who like to discover about the culture and other civilization. Actually provides me further information about China. I recommend people to read this great book because the written way is attractive the information is valuable.
This book is clearly written for the tidal wave of Western businessmen/women who are flocking to China's aggressive economy. For me, a traveler to China, the information was no less interesting, or less useful for providing context to the things I experienced on my trip. I'd recommend this book for anyone hoping to get a practical handle on the changing face of China. This isn't a political or social book - it just gives you hints about what Chinese people will expect when they interact with you. And, if nothing else, it's a really easy read. :)
Culture Shock! China is an easy, straightforward read. It definitely has a lot of good information in it about China. However there are some major flaws. China has undergone some major changes in the 22 years since this book was published, so a good deal of the information seems outdated. As with anything this short trying to be somewhat definitive, there are a lot of broad sweeping generalizations.
Nevertheless, it seems like a good intro to China and it has me feeling a little more prepared for my trip in 3 weeks!
This series does a great job of helping the reader prepare for an upcoming trip to a foreign country. I had read about most things that I encountered in terms of customs, behavior, money, food, how foreigners are viewed, etc. before I arrived. This helped make some of these things less surprising as I had a little bit of insight into the hows and whys of them. Didn't always make sense, but that's what makes travel interesting.
I remember reading quite a bit of this one, and I think the info was helpful to me at the time, or at least gave me some context/helped me be a little bit more informed before going on a trip to China (which was actually my first trip out of the country--and without parents!)
The "Culture Shock" series of books go beyond the usual travel guide and delve more into the countries customs and etiquette. Sometimes baffling, sometimes humorous-always fascinating!
Read this to prepare for my trip to China. So glad I read it. I knew nothing about the country or the culture and didn't want to anything to embarass myself or to give Americans a bad name.