From the Inside Flap
These ingenious city guides package a concise full-color miniguide together with a full-size color map in a sturdy plastic sleeve. This convenient two-in-one travel resource is perfect for the on-the-go traveler who only needs the highlights in brief.
The Mini-guide
Color photos throughout
The top 25 attractions
Itineraries, walks, tours and excursions
Capsule reviews of key hotels, restaurants, shops, nightlife, and more
Concise travel facts about getting there and getting around
The Foldout MapDetailed city coverage in full-color
Fully indexed
Neighborhood blowups
Public transport, hotels, points of interest, parks, and more--all listed on map
Easy to store in durable plastic sleeve
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Introduction to BeijingAll cities develop and change, but what is happening in Beijing is astonishing. All the troublesome aspects of a visit in the 1980s have faded into the background. You no longer need special certificates to go shopping; the difficulty of even finding a store to make a simple purchase of fresh fruit or aspirin is now a quaint memory. Buses are impossibly overcrowded still, but inexpensive taxis are commonplace and finding your way around is more straightforward. In the old days, even finding a decent place to eat could be a challenge.
Beijing, chosen in 1260 by Kublai Khan as his winter residence and now capital to a nation of over one billion people, is undergoing profound changes. When you spend time in the city you have the unique opportunity to observe a social revolution every bit as radical as Mao Zedong's 1960s Cultural Revolution. You still encounter old Beijing even on main thoroughfares: a bicycle repairer squats on a street corner with his tools, waiting for a passing bicyclist with a puncture; down an adjoining
hutong (alley or lane) people still insulate the walls of their homes with newspaper. But evidence of a new society is everywhere. Beijingers are embracing consumerism with revolutionary fervor. Signs and menus appear in English, cellular phones are commonplace, Western-style shopping malls and office complexes are being developed at an amazing rate. The people of Beijing are sampling what the West has to offer and observing the process is enthralling.
Despite these changes, it is China's 3,000-year-old civilization that remains at the heart of Beijing's appeal. During over 800 years, the city has been home to 33 emperors of four great dynasties, whose rich legacy includes such major sites as the Forbidden City and the Great Wall. More recent triumphs and tragedies are enshrined in Tian'anmen Square, one of the more controversial stops on President Clinton's 1998 visit to Beijing. You can also experience China's ancient culture in more living forms: restaurants specializing in regional cuisines open a window on one of the world's most incredible food cultures; traditional teahouses are reopening; Chinese opera is back in favor, and every evening a theater plays host to the 2,000-year-old tradition of acrobatics. What prompted the early waves of independent travelers in the 1980s was the expectation of seeing all of this and experiencing firsthand a culture that had shunned the West. This is still the chief draw, but now it can be enjoyed with the benefit
of creature comforts, and is made even more astonishing by the city's social renaissance. Beijing has flung its doors wide open. Go in.
