One of the oldest civilizations in the world, China`s heritage dates back more than six millennia.” China: A Visual Adventure” profiles the colour & variety of its provinces, offering a series of contrasts
- new & old, rich & poor, bustling & calm
- to define the modern culture of this enduring nation. Leading readers on an incredible tour of the country`s various regions, ” China: A Visual Adventure” is at once a treasure trove of beautiful images & a wealth of historical & contemporary facts of one of the twenty-first century`s most important industrial powers.

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China in the Culture Smart range of pocket-sized guide books; providing detailed information on local customs, culture, etiquette & manners & ensuring that visitors are prepared for a diverse range of social environments. The series covers an extensive number of countries worldwide & are designed both for those working & living abroad, as well as for visitors who do not want to offend, either intentionally or inadvertently. Their aim is to prevent readers from making embarrassing mistakes & feel confident in unfamiliar situations, while preparing them before arrival on what to expect & how to behave. Each guide is arranged thematically, with dedicated individual chapters on land & people, values & attitudes, customs & traditions, making friends, people at home, ‘time-out’, travelling & communicating. There is also a separate chapter for business travelers, with important information on subjects such as business culture, meetings & making appointments. A Further Reading section also offers a list of recommended other history, travel literature & language titles available on the country. ...

For thousands of years, the Chinese believed that they had created a perfect social system. Dynasties came & went, but the essence of being Chinese remained more or less unchanged until the twentieth century. Following invasion by the Japanese, civil war, & revolution, in 1949 Mao Zedong & the Communists took power. China was largely closed off from the rest of the world, undergoing almost constant revolution at an often terrible price. After Mao s death in 1976 the country opened its doors to the West & introduced a nascent market economy, called socialism with Chinese characteristics. China became the workshop of the world. Low wages & a low yuan boosted exports & created jobs for millions. ...

The Freytag & Bernt China & Mongolia map is a clear general-purpose indexed road map at 1:4, 000, 000 scale, ideal for planning & touring. The national road networks of motorways & primary roads are shown clearly, with under-construction section marked, & selected provincial & minor roads are marked including some unsurfaced tracks. Intermediate driving distances are shown alongside the routes. The Great Wall of China is also shown. Administrative & international boundaries are clearly marked, & administrative area names are shown. Some detail on topography is shown with relief shading, & spot heights for high peaks & passes in metres. No contours are given. Natural features such as rivers & lakes, swamps & glaciers are indicated, & National Parks are marked. Symbols indicate UNESCO World Heritage sites, airports & ports, selected tourism & leisure facilities such as ski resorts & spas, & other selected points of interest. The multi-lingual legend

Includes:: English, & the map is indexed for major place names with a very clear, easy-to-read index. Latitude/ Longitude grid lines (WGS84 datum) are drawn at 4

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Detailed (but sometimes crowded) road map of China & Mongolia with hill shading, coloring & selected spot heights. A separate inset covers the Hainan Dao Island in China. Six different types of roads plus tracks are indicated with intermediate driving distances on main roads. Also marked are international & disputed boundaries, administrative boundaries, airports & ports, two kinds of railways, cease-fire lines, military demarcation lines & the Great Wall of China. Geographical information include national parks, interesting natural features, thermal springs, salt & intermittent lakes, marshes & swamps. Plus a series of symbols shows tourist points of interest, Buddhist temples & monasteries, mosques & Pagodas. Longitude & latitude lines are drawn at 3° intervals & the legend is in English, German, French & Hungarian. Printed on paper with an extensive index of place names on the reverse. ...

China in the Odyssey Guides series; aimed at travellers particularly interested in the culture & history of their destination; the guides focus on the atmosphere, customs, & distinctive character of a country, region or city. As the only English language publisher based in China, Odyssey Guides specialize in Asian destinations, relying on the expertise of local writers. This gives readers more of an insider ...

Born two years before the invention of daguerreotype & the birth of photography, Thomson first travelled to Asia in 1862 where he set up a professional photographic studio. The local culture & the people of Asia fascinated him, & in 1868 he made his second trip, this time settling in Hong Kong. Between 1868 & 1872, Thomson made extensive trips to Guangdong, Fujian, Beijing, China`s northeast & down the Yangtse River, covering nearly 5000 miles. This exhibition catalogue is drawn from his time in these regions. These were the early days of photography when negatives were made on glass plates that had to be coated with emulsion before the exposure was made. A huge amount of cumbersome equipment had to be carried from place to place & with perseverance, great energy & stamina, Thomson managed to take a wide variety of images & themes, including landscapes, people, & architecture, domestic & street scenes. As a foreigner, his ability to gain access to photograph women is also remarkable. In China, Thomson excelled as a photographer in quality, depth & breadth, & in artistic sensibility. ...

China 1626 Replica Map by the Old Map Company is a reproduction of the map created for the famous atlas of the period by the master map maker John Speede Esq. The Old Map Company has recreated the antique maps of British counties, European cities & World countries originally crafted by master map maker John Speede Esq. whose work had accuracy & quality not surpassed for centuries. Each map is treated & presented on specially crafted paper then h&-treated giving it texture & an aged appearance before being beautifully engraved & detailed. ...

This is a spectacular & lavish portrait of China, the world's oldest civilization
- past, present & future. You can take an incredible
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If you are planning a trip to China or if just want to get to know a little more about the Chinese, let ” China A-Z” by writer & journalist Kai Strittmatter be your introduction to this marvellous country & its people. The book is both amusing & informative, giving an understanding of the world’s fastest growing superpower, its ancient tradition & the millions of Chinese who inhabits its lands. All Chinese look the same, some say. Same goes for Europeans. Did you know that our Olympic hosts in 2008 don’t eat soup, they drink it? That their surnames come before their first names? That their good sense is to be found not in their heads but in their hearts? Or that white is their colour of mourning? Kai Strittmatter lived & worked in China for ten years & in this fascinating book he lets in on a few secrets. Introducing us to some telling Chinese symbols
- but not all 57, 000 of them!
- he explains in a wealth of charming, amusing anecdotes & what they reveal of China & its people. On the way we meet pensioners who practice the art of street calligraphy, read the Beijing police’s hilarious English phrasebook & have the dubious pleasure of sampling trendy ‘ Western’ food, as well as a hundred other surprises. With the Beijing Olympics 2008 luring even more travellers to China, this amusing, affectionate & perceptive book provides a fascinating guide to this lively, sociable & friendly people & their complex & often contradictory society. As the author says: ‘ Be prepared for everything when you come to Beijing. It really is unbelievable what can happen here.’‘ Anyone who has spent a night on the same floor of a hotel as a group of Chinese tourists will know that most Chinese love _re nao_: “heat & noise”. They love to go where lots of people are already squeezed together, where all hell has broken loose. _ Re nao_ is a state of being that people strive for because it brings them pleasure & joy. The idea is to dive into as large a mass of people as possible & then, through emitting as many decibels as possible, to reassure each other that you aren’t alone in the world. Some people still suspect that the construction plans for fireworks are encoded in Chinese genes. As a result, they invented them & use them with a mastery & pizzazz unequalled anywhere else in the world. Today _re nao_ is more popular than ever in China, thanks to the increase in happy occasions, which historically have been all too rare for this long-suffering people. The mother of all _re nao_’s was the day when it was announced that Beijing would host the Olympic Games. All that night you couldn’t understand a word the television reporters were saying. _ Re nao_ fits the Olympic spirit: the character _re_ once represented a torch-holder. The opposite of _re nao_ is _tai ping_, “the highest peace”. Here’s a tip: _tai ping_ can be found in Beijing in only one way
- you’ll have to be alone in a swimming pool, with both ears underwater.’`...this is a delightfully witty & insightful guide to todays China.` _ The Guardian_`A humourous & insightful study of life in China’ _WANDERLUST_


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