Shanghai (Odyssey Shanghai) [Paperback]

Nancy Johnston (Author)

Book Description

Series: Odyssey Shanghai | Publication Date: December 2003

The cosmopolitan, decadent 'Paris of the East' during the Twenties and Thirties, and before that a beacon for Western entrepreneurs, Shanghai continues to fascinate visitors with its mlange of European architecture and its reputation for style and sophistication. Today, amidst great change, Shanghai's famed energy is more palpable than ever as it evolves into a modern financial and cultural center. Buildings and infrastructure are rising at a dizzying rate, as are the dazzling new shopping and night-life venues that have come alive. In addition to covering all the major sites of the city, this guide offers a broad range of practical information, such as how to pronounce Chinese names, where to shop, advice on conducting business, and suggested excursions outside the city. Also include are excerpts from literature on Shanghai by such noted writers as Nien Cheng, Anchee Min, Orville Schell and J G Ballard.

* Overview of the history of Shanghai
* Sixth edition of this very popular guide
* Guide to pronouncing Chinese names
* Information on the many sights in and around Shanghai
* Advice on conducting business in Shanghai
* Essays examining, amongst other topics, the peasant painters of Jinshan
* Excerpts from literature on Shanghai from Aldous Huxley, Simone de Beauvoir, Orville Schell and many more
* Superb color photography
* Chronology of Chinese history

Editorial Reviews

Review

A good introduction to the city. -- Travel & Leisure

These handsome, well-edited books from a Hong Kong-based publisher cover places few other guidebooks go.... The writers are particularly well-chosen....Odyssey fans tend to be adventurous travelers with a literary bent. If you're lucky enough to find an Odyssey Guide to where you're going, grab it. -- National Geographic Traveler, February 2000 --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Nancy Johnston, a native of Philadelphia, lived in Los Angeles for 13 years prior to coming to Shanghai in 1994 to live and work. She is a professional actress and freelance writing who has written about Shanghai for many magazines, and the author of The Western Food Lover's Guide to Shanghai (Odyssey 1997).

Product Details

• Paperback: 170 pages
• Publisher: Odyssey Publications; 6 edition (December 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9622176232
• ISBN-13: 978-9622176232
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,193,885 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Some Outdated Practical Info in a Hodge Podge Style, September 14, 2000

By 

Renee Thorpe (Karangasem, Bali) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shanghai (Paperback)

Authors & publisher might wish there was a 2 1/2 star option, because that would be more accurate. But no way does this sketchy guidebook deserve a 3.

It's a good size to carry around and there are some really nice little tidbits of background reading. But there is a real lack of practical usefulness with this guide. I really needed my other guidebooks, too, which is a shame... if you're in one foreign city, one good guide book should suffice. This one didn't, quite. I think it would suffice for someone coming in on the kind of package tour where all decisions are already made about where to eat every meal, and where to go. But if you travel independantly, this book simply doesn't measure up.

The book provides a good, simple overview map of the city, which is good for the main streets and subway lines but I like to see neighborhood maps, too (which you will always find in the Lonely Planet guides). None were given. Transportation section in the beginning makes it sound like bicycling is a great way to get around, so it was very annoying to find, on the authors' suggested 3-day sightseeing itinerary, that a bicycle won't do, since so many of the crucial streets are closed to bikes. Why didn't they choose an itinerary that would include some of that cycling they espouse? No walking tours are suggested, either.

I found the local expat weekly pulp magazine, Shanghai Scene, I believe it was called, a lot more helpful for finding great restaurants, shopping tips, and other meaty, useful info. In fact, the weekly gave phone numbers for all the museums I needed to go. This book gives none. Granted, Shanghai is the world's fastest changing city and no book can truly keep up with all the new hotels and nightspots, but things like the lack of phone numbers (of museums and restaurants) meant I was always referring elsewhere for additional info.

The shopping tips provided were minimal and without embellishment. I passed lots of great neighborhood markets that would probably have been mentioned in other guidebooks but not this one. And text mentions the area where bookshops are to be found but neglects to mention that this same street is where you will see all the great traditional Chinese calligraphy and painting supplies. I wonder what other unique Shanghai gems are ignored.

So while the book is glossy with photos and full of fun cultural sidebars, it lacks the nuts and bolts of a real traveler's guide book.