Shanghai (Insight Compact Guide Shanghai) [Paperback]

Insight Guides (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Langenscheidt Publishers (December 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0887298192
• ISBN-13: 978-0887298196
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 4.6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,818,381 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly accurate, informative, non-patronizing, November 26, 2002

By 

Elisabeth W. Movius (Shanghai China) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shanghai (Insight Compact Guide Shanghai) (Paperback)

I live in Shanghai, and usually write guidebooks, not read them. When I do, it's usually to wince at all the things the writers who came here for a mere month or so of research got wrong. Even those without glaring errors tend to be off by angle, such as raving about the rather dull Yu Gardens and failing to notice the incredible living history museum, Shanghai's Old City (aka Chinatown), that it is situated in. They only offer the stupidly obvious destinations, like the Bund, Huaihai Lu, and Nanjing Lu, to the neglect of fascinating, cultural history spots like Sichuan Lu and the Jewish Ghetto.

I was handed the compact guide as a reference for a project I was working on, and it pleasantly surprised me. Amazingly, I found nothing to criticize, nothing to wince at. I was impressed to discover in it city trivia that even I consider obscure, like the history of the Broadway Mansions as the old Foreign Correspondents Club.

But nicest of all is its refusal to patronize. Many guidebooks take the attitude, "You're a stupid Western tourist,doesn't speak any Chinese, so here's what to do!" So, if you pick them up having read anything - anything! - about Shanghai previously, you're likely to feel put off. The Compact Guide refreshingly presents the facts without too much condescending background but also without playing insider baseball. It's very accessible.

Only two quibbles: the maps are confusing, have a number of typos, don't have characters along with the pinyin, and are so small, listing so few streets, to be useless unless you already know where you are/where you're going (and then, why do you need a map?). Also, Shanghai changes so quickly that, being written three years ago, it is rather woefully out of date. Use its listings with caution.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent compact guide, January 5, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Shanghai (Insight Compact Guide Shanghai) (Paperback)

I took this and Fodor's Citypack Shanghai (Citypack) guide for a week in Shanghai in 12/00. I found this guide far better than the Fodor guide. I found it to be an excellent general guide, if you want a compact, concise guide. The excursions were pretty good as well.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than Fodor's Pocket Shanghai, September 18, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Shanghai (Insight Compact Guide Shanghai) (Paperback)

I bought this book and also Fodor's Pocket Shanghai. This book has better print/paper quality. Has more maps. For each attraction, there is a color photo so that you can decide if you would like to go there. The photo also helps to identify the attraction if you do decide to go there.
The Fodor's book has no photos, looks [inexpensive], but is actually [$] more.