Lonely Planet Shanghai (Paperback)

by Bradley Mayhew (Author) "Though the earliest imperial records date from the Warring States period (453-221 BC) when the western suburbs of Shanghai belonged to the state of Chu,..." (more)
Key Phrases: domestic hall, travel atlas, soft sleeper, Hong Kong, Nanjing Xilu, Huaihai Zhonglu (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
As usual the guide-book standard is set by Lonely Planet

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Product Description

Shanghai fuses the faded glamour of its colonial past with China's dreams for the future. It's the world's fastest-changing city: blink and it's different. Use this definitive guide to keep up with the frenetic pace.

• special sections: Shanghai's diverse architecture, from Art Deco to 21st-century, and the magnificent Bund
• excursions to Hangzhou, Suzhou, Putuoshan and other sites around Shanghai
• the latest word on the rebirth of Shanghai nightlife - from the best bars to where to dance the tango
• eat your heat out: Shanghai's famous snack food and world-class restaurants
• walking tours that bring the city's colourful past alive

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications; illustrated edition edition (February 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0864425074
• ISBN-13: 978-0864425072
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,506,956 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is worth it's weight in gold!, June 5, 2004

By	Peder Ydalus (Oslo, Norway) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Shanghai (Paperback)

A friend of mine and I visited Shanghai May-June 2004. Reading this book beforehand was incredibly useful. It does, however, seem to give the impression that the e.g hotels and nightclubs it enlists are the only ones at these price levels, but we found heaps more. Not unexpected in a city of 13 million people.

We both agreed the book is worth it's weight in gold. Traveling in China where hardly anyone speaks English or are able to read the western alphabet can be a tedious task. Getting this information on location might be feasible for Chinese speaking travelers, but practically impossible for forreigners. Read the book in total beforehand! Make notes! We had so much fun in China, and we owe much to this book. It should have included more on the Chinese language (pronouns, a short dictionary etc) and more extensive information on Hangzhou.

...and don't eat the ¥180 meal in the Oriental Pearl Tower. It's absolutely horrible and the service is below street-corner-eatery level.

- Peder -

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for information - maps and phrasebook are lacking..., November 7, 2004

By	Erin C. Nelson (Manhattan Beach, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Lonely Planet Shanghai (Paperback)

I used this book for a 7 day trip to Shanghai in September 2004. It gave an excellent overview of the city: what to see, where to go, however, the maps and phrasebook were a disappointment. The maps lacked the Chinese characters for the street names (the book listed everyting in "pinyon", the Westernized lettering of Chinese words) and since very few people in Shanghai speak English or recognize the Western lettering, we couldn't just point to where we wanted to go. Instead, we had to get the hotel concierge to write down where we wanted to go, which was very limiting when heading out on day trips.

In addition to this book, be sure to get a good map, complete with Chinese charaters. Also be sure to pick up a copy of the Rough Guide Mandarin phrasebook, which is an essential resource for ordering in restaurants, getting around town via taxi, asking directions, etc.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Published Slower Than Shanghai Moves, July 21, 2001

By A Customer

Having just finished six months studying in Shangai, I think I'm in a good position to review this book. The sections on local food, excursions and the like are interesting and accurate - I have tried and tested Hangzhou, Suzhou and Nanjing - but other areas like nightlife and the like are out of date (already!). For this sorts of things its best to check out ... which is the local expat magazine. There you can find better listings of restaurants, clubs, bars and the like. The best thing would be to contact a local once you get there.