China Guidebook 1986

by Fredric M. Kaplan

Includes comprehensive listings of more than one thousand hotels, detailed coverage of hundreds of cities and points of interest, and a Chinese language guide

Genres: Reference, Nonfiction

720 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1985

Reviews

[Denise Spicer · Rating 3 out of 5]

1987 was quite a while ago so lots of the details in this book are out of date but it is fun to browse through and gives you a sense of what to think about as a tourist. For instance, the book contains sections on planning your trip (group tours or on your own), food, restaurants/banquets, reginal cuisine, how to eat with chopsticks (p. 140 “Don’t get discouraged. If more than one fourth of humanity eats with chopsticks on a daily basis, so can you.”), culture, recreation, shopping, education, health care and religion, arts, handicrafts and museums. Then there are separate sections on cities and sites from Anshan – Zhuhai and the “gateway” cities of Hong Kong and Macao. The book also includes Maps and an Appendix which covers reading lists and language info – common phrases useful for travelers. Prominently displayed across the front cover is a banner proclaiming “All-New Section on Hong Kong”. That section makes for interesting reading in light of the fact that Hong Kong is currently (2019) prominently featured in the news.