1 comments about Yunnan: China's Most Beautiful Province.

1. This book speaks more than its cover. The pictures are great and capture the story about Laos very accurately. I would cherish this book and let it be a short story teller for my children, and among my friends. I am surprised that delivery is within the week.

2 comments about Cathay: A Journey in Search of Old China (Destinations).

1. The imagery was wonderful and while I wouldn't categorize it as "can't put it down," the book flowed extremely well and I finished it in short order. I would definitely recommend it to someone interested in the lesser-known side of the Middle empire.



2. Fergus M. Bordewich's CATHAY: A JOURNEY IN SEARCH OF OLD CHINA is a travel log that explores a part of China's buried cultural history rich with literature, art, philosophy, and religious tradition that have been referenced in folk tales, Marco Polo, and Confucius. For those familiar with the 1933 novel Lost Horizon, Cathay may have been that place; a land enamored with a myth-like utopia, and images that the west visualized about the orient. Through his trek to China, Bordewich emphasizes the identity and displacement of the people of the Northern part of the region.
   
   After coming across a second hand bookstore in lower Manhattan as well as spending time in Beijing as an advisor to the Xinhua News Agency during the 1980s, Bordewich became intrigued with China's past. He came across a book by an American writer, George N. Kates, a World War I veteran educated at Harvard and Oxford, who visited Cathay during the 1930s; his fondest memories are recounted in his 1952 memoir, The Years That Were Fat: Peking, 1933-1940. And it was this book that began Bordewich's exploration to medieval China, and his interview with Kates. Although Kates discusses his fondest memories, he sternly believes that the China he once knew would never be again.
   
   Despite that unfortunate testament, Bordewich heads to the beautiful and somewhat untouched landscapes of Northern and Northwest China in order to understand what Kates was talking about. From the land that brought Confucius, Qufu, to the rich cityscape landscape of Shanghai, he travels back in time and encounters the voices of those who knew or inherited a history. He reveals the kingdoms and intellectual communities that helped influence and open its culture to the western world.
   
   The disconcerting aspect about Bordewich's account is that the residents to whom he speaks with appear to have a detachment from their history. While meeting with one of the last descendents of a Yancheng duke, heir to the blood of Confucius, Kong Decheng, Bordewich sounds like a historian hungry to preserve a history that is not his own. He asserts: "I wanted too much. I longed to know how it felt to possess twenty-five centuries of documented history as one's own, as if it bestowed some ultimate key to time itself. But history shied deftly away. When I asked him how he felt about his connection with Confucius, he said, `I don't want to feel noble. I want to feel the same as the common people' (128).
   
   CATHAY is an interesting narrative that resonates a longing or romanticizing for China's very distant past amidst the present embrace of western culture reaped with fast food restaurants and industrial factories. The common sentiment while reading this book is that this part of world history may now have become ancient or mythical history as the years pass. And it is only through the retelling or rediscovery with books such as this one that it will be as real as the present.

No comments about My Path Leads To Tibet: The Inspring Story of How One Young Blind Woman Brought Hope to the Blind Children of Tibet (Ulverscroft Large Print Series).

No comments about Chinese Write Away!: Learn to Write Chinese Characters (Write Away!).

5 comments about Fearless on Everest: The Quest for Sandy Irvine.

1. Julie Summers sensitive telling of the story of Sandy Irvine is not only a great read, but is written with intelligence, grace and wit. Irvine's personality looms large in the book, and the reader is easily captivated by his infectious personality. Explorer, lover, adventurer, journalist -- one can easily imagine Summer's Irvine on the silver sceen, portrayed by Harrison Ford or Mel Gibson. This wonderful book will be enjoyed by climbers, mountaineers, armchair explorers and laypeople alike. A real tour de force, the only question that arises after reading is: who is going to option it, and when is the movie coming out?



2. Fearless On Everest: The Quest For Sandy Irvine is an intensely personal, candid, and informative account of the life of a young man who died at the age of 22 while on an expedition to climb Mt. Everest. Written with a narrative smoothness that completely engages the reader's attention, biographer and Irvine family member Julie Summers includes newly discovered letters and photographs and specifically addresses a long-debated question in mountaineering circles: Why did George Leigh Mallory choose the young, less-experienced Andrew Irvine as his partner on so hazardous an enterprise? Also very highly recommended for mountaineering enthusiasts are three related titles from Mountaineers Books addresses the doomed Mallory-Irvine expedition: Ghosts Of Everest: The Search For Mallory & Irvine (699-5, $.....); The Mystery Of Mallory & Irvine: Fully Revised Edition (726-6, $.....); The Wildest Dream: The Biography Of George Mallory (741-X, $......).



3. This is a very well-written and researched book. It provides an introspective and analytical look into the man of mystery on the expedition...Sandy Irvine. The photos, family anecdotes, and treasure trove of memorabilia recently discovered provided a full and satisfying read. You can't know all about the 1924 expedition until you know about what made Sandy Irvine tick.



4. I'm afraid I have to disagree with other reviewers of this book. The writing is often awkward and grammatically challenged (to use a current euphemism). And Sandy Irvine comes across as a rather ordinary young man, self centered, good at sports, and good with his hands, but lacking in any sort of intellectual sophistication. It was this very sophisitcation and intellectualism that made Mallory the interesting figure he remains. Had Mallory been a mere hearty, he would have far less interesting. In contrast to Mallory, Irvine strikes one as eactly what this biography tries to convince one he was not, i.e., a follower who had little idea of what Mallory was leading him into.

   Because of Irvine's commoness and the bad writing (Where oh where was an editor!?), this is hardly worth the time, and certainly not worth the money.




5. Frequently overshadowed by his mentor and climbing partner, George Mallory, Sandy Irvine is long overdue a biography worthy of his accomplishments. I can understand the frustration that people have with encountering someone not driven by ego or the incessant need to belittle others. In that respect perhaps Sandy is a bit too normal by modern standards and can be accused of being a little too nice. Nonetheless in his short life he still managed to accomplish some very great things and this book does a wonderful job of highlighting those moments. It is not perhaps all one could hope for in a study of the 1924 Everest Expedition but then no other book has set a suitably high standard to be considered authoritative. As a collection of data which many overlook this has to be considered a must read for the Everest fanatic.

1 comments about China Map by ITMB.

1. I purchase this map to plot our upcoming tour to China. It is one big map with half of China on one side the other half on back. I finally had to refer to other maps to find the cities on this big one. Biggest problem was the spelling of the cities are not as shown in our tour guide. Maybe the Chinese way of spelling! It did not have a published date on map, think it was made before the Dam was put in place. Sorry I ordered it.

No comments about Taiwan's Imagined Geography: Chinese Colonial Travel Writing and Pictures, 1683-1895 (Harvard East Asian Monographs).

1 comments about Singapore: A Pictorial History 1819-2000.

1. Its simply amazing going through Singapore's history through this book. Its almost unbelievable how much change has occured in Singapore, especially when you look at pictures of Orchard Road in the book and it looks literally like an orchard, unlike the ultra-modern shopping district it is now. Or the pictures of Bugis as an old Malay village with it just next to the shoreline, and thinking about the amount of land that has been reclaimed. You'll encounter feelings and thoughts like this over and over as you go over this book.
   
   Recommended for the Singaporean who's curious on our own past, or for the visitor to Singpapore who wants to know more about this small island nation.
   
   The only thing that I find disapointing with the book are the photos chosen for the "modern era" depiction of Singapore. Some of those pictures simply don't belong there, like the pictures of the local actors and actresses...

5 comments about Frommer's China: The 50 Most Memorable Trips, Third Edition.

1. In Frommer's China expert J. D. Brown gives us more of a travel log than a travel guide, which in this case is a refreshing change. Very few people have seen China as extensively as J. D. Brown. His recording of his actual experience at each of the 50 destination will stimulate new itineraries for you to consider. Brown states, " In this guide I've recorded in as frank detail as possible 50 of my most memorable travels in China."

   If you are going to Cruise the Yangzi River (Three Gorge Dan) this is is best description in a travel book available today. Also superb is his "Great Wall" write up. Brown's `Summer Palace' write up, while good, criticized the British and French for their terrible act of destroying the original palace, but said nothing of the destruction caused by Mao's henchman.

   His recommendations for accommodations often have web site address and email (an important additions that many other guides omit), and Brown's restaurant and hotel recommendations are reliable and commendable.

   On the weak side this 'travel log' lacks the interesting information that is found in other guide, i.e., understanding of Mao's Communist China, Tiananmen Square commentary, modern China, etc. The accommodations and dining recommendations are very light and maps are few and far between.

   What Brown has done is give us a valuable supplement to use in conjunction with your China travel guide (see my reviews on Rough Guide China and Lonely Planet China for highly recommended guides). Again this is not my first choices in guides for selecting hotels, restaurant etc. BUT it is often my first choice for descriptions of select sites and my first selection as a collaborating guide to supplement my primary guide. Highly Recommended.




2. This is the only English tour book I've found so far that looks at China through Chinese eyes. The author weaves a tapestry of place in China, providing a glimpse at the rich history and culture that surround each memorable spot. When seen through the author's eyes, China shines with a an ancient aura unexperienced by most tourists -- like a beautiful rainbow that can only be seen from the right angle.

   The author mentions famous poets, painters, historical figures, religious hagiography and provides a glimpse of the sweep of dynasties. The text evokes China's fascinating past with snippets of famous Chinese poems, insightful historical references and pointers about books that will widen your cultural horizon. His sense of awe and majesty bring back a sadly fading dimension that has been purged by the current regime, and is all too often lost in the glossy world of tourism literature.

   While this book also can be used as a how-to-do-it guidebook, it's true value lies in providing tantalizing panoramas of time and place in China. My only wish is that the author would provide even more cultural information, so that what we see during our visits would be somewhat closer to the rich, captivating landscapes the educated Chinese person sees. Even with this book, so many spots of immense historical and cultural significance are simply beyond the ken of most travelers. Sadly, without books like this one, a visit to China is akin to going to a 3-D movie without the special 3-D goggles.




3. I have lived in China for most of the past year and travelled extensively in China for the past five years. Often on my travels, Brown's book is a trusted companion when visiting one of his 50 sites. His insightful and personal accounts of his experiences are both entertaining and educational. What I like most about this book is that Brown likes China and appreciates its differences. This is not true of all guide books, especially Lonely Planet's China who delights in complaining about just about everything. Unfortunately, for guide book writers, China is changing so fast, much of Brown's information on hotels and restaurants is out of date. Restaurants and hotels sometimes disappear and new ones take their place. With that one exception, I found his information to be accurate and useful. Whether you are an old hand in China or making your first trip, this book is a must buy.



4. I bought this guide book over the others, including Lonley Planet, based on these reviews and those of Lonely Planet China on Amazon. My experience is this is a fine book to read before you go to China, but a terrible guide for navigating your way through China.
   
   I just returned from spending a month traveling to different cities. This book is heavily biased and does not allow the reader to make informed decisions. The author clearly has an opinion about everywhere to go and what he thinks, but the book doesn't give the reader a chance to disagree. You could very well miss out on some wonderful aspects of China b/c this book is not as comprehensive as others and you wouldn't even know you were missing out. Also, I wasn't happy with recommended hotels and restaurants as they are all quite pricey. Plus, there are many discrepancies with other Frommer's books (which this one is a part of) - for example, there is a vegetarian restaurant in Shanghai the author recommends highly which is called overrated by the other Frommer's book. And the other book is actually more correct.
   
   This book also assumes a certain level of experience with China. I had not been to China before and found travel suggestions ridiculous. For example, he says you should be able to get on a bus yourself at some obscure corner to go to the Summer Palace from Beijing, and scoffs at those who would choose otherwise and get ripped off. Well, if you speak and can read Mandarin Chinese, then that is fine. Otherwise, in a city where taxi drivers do not speak English, getting somewhere on a bus is nearly impossible.
   
   I would just like to warn anyone going to China b/c you do not want to be left there without a good guide book. It is so critical to have good directions that are user friendly and objective. Otherwise, you will end up trying to find a better book when you get there and be frustrated along the way.



5. Seasoned travellers know that you can't go to a country where you don't speak the language without a translatable dictionary and a guide that just lists sites and hotels - Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, Let's Go, Rick Steves. But, true insight into a country and it's travel secrets cannot be found in a list of accommodations and things to see. To this end, the aforementioned guides offer little.
   
   This is where 50 Memorable trips comes in. It gives you a walk through a town with commentary on hidden places and eateries so all you do is follow the path on the maps provided. We even used this hiking several mountains and the maps proved invaluable. Since the book is about a person's experience, of course it showcases the author's frustrations but also his sheer amazement and delight. As we got stuck on the top of Huang Shan after 5 hours of hiking, we were overjoyed that at least we got beds and a roof over our head, unlike Mr. Brown and his night on the mountain. His accounts are real experiences, both the good and the bad, creating a connection with readers and their own journey.

No comments about Art in Life: Discovery of Historic Regional Furniture in China.