Getting an Overview of the Historical, Natural & Cultural Sites

Out of the many travel guides available on China, I've selected two from my favorite travel series: Lonely Planet's China [Victoria, Australia: Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd, 2005] and Dorling Kindersley's Eyewitness Travel Guide China [New York: DK Publishing Inc., 2005]. I like Lonely Planet's detailed information on each location, their maps, their recommendations for budget accomondations and food, and their guidance on alternative ways to get to each place. And, I like DK's narratives combined with beautiful color pictures of the historical, natural and cultural wonders of China.

The China National Tourist Administration's guides and maps of provinces and cities provide lots of useful information. Among the guides I picked up in New York were: China Travel Guide, Guide to Museums of China, West China Travel Guide (covers Sichuan and Shaanxi Provinces and Chongqing Municipality), Beijing Travel Guide, Xi'an Travel Guide, Guilin Travel Guide, The Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, China Mountains Tour, and Chongqing China.