China Survival Guide: How to Avoid Travel Troubles and Mortifying Mishaps

by Qin Herzberg and Larry Herzberg

Book Overview

"An ideal, pocket-sized, 264 page compendium packed from cover to cover with practical advice, insightful commentary, and invaluable tips on places to go, things to see, what to do, and what to avoid. . . . China Survival Guide should be considered an essential 'take-along' for anyone visiting China for business or pleasure." -- Midwest Book Review, May 2014

"Like having] a professional guide walking alongside you answering your many questions...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1611720109
• ISBN13: 9781611720105
• Release Date: December 2013
• Publisher: Stone Bridge Press
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 0.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 4.5" x 5.9"

Customer Reviews

Never underestimates the problems

If you are at all interested in travel in China then this book is absolutely worth the money and the time. Get it. But when you read the reviews here you should keep track of which reviewers had and which had not been in China at the time they wrote the review. Some people enjoy the book very much but have no way of saying how accurate or practical it is. In a nutshell: it is very practical, and increasingly out of date even though it was recently published. China is changing incredibly fast, not only the major cites. Many things will be easier for foreign visitors than this book says. The only thing that might be a bit harder is that Chinese tourist sites are ever more jam packed, largely with Chinese tourists from all over the country. When you see the Summer Palace you will also see a great deal of today's China! The book says ATMs that accept foreign cards are not easy to find even in the largest cities. I can tell you they were very easy to find in Beijing in 2007. The book says that Beijing will try to phase out the shabby 1.20 yuan taxi cabs, leaving only the higher priced 1.60 and 2.00 yuan cabs for the 2008 Olympic Games (plus the unofficial "black" cabs - which they say not to take and I believe they are right). The city did better than that even before this book was printed. During a week in Beijing in 2007 I saw only 2.00 yuan cabs. They were quite nice and that is still a very low price. The book says people on the street will not stand in line. It warns that people will be quite rude on the street in contrast to how extremely nice they will be in person. Well, the nice in person part remains true. But I found people in Beijing stood in long lines just fine for street food vendors, in fact they seemed impressed that a foreigner could also master this skill! The people of Beijing were given intensive instructions on good behavior leading up to the Olympics. It was a bit like the efforts to make New York City safer and more tourist-friendly in the 1990s only with more focus on politeness and less on crime. The same is happening in other cities, drawing on the Beijing experience, as the others host major international events. But really these are details, and if anything this book will lead you to plan more carefully than you need to -- it will not lead you into unforeseen trouble!

small and inexpensive but great!

Larry and Qin Herzberg have managed to create an inexpensive, easy-to-carry but highly informative--and very humorous--guidebook. It seems to me to stand by itself in terms of genre. Derived from many experiences of taking student groups to China, taking his own private trips including some with his wife Qin, and creating an insightful documentary video on China today (a joint project of the two), this little book is full of sound advice for novice travelers/first time tourists and seasoned businessmen alike. One of the most valuable parts is the short introduction to the Chinese language, incuding an appropriate (i.e. ralistically manageable)number of useful Chinese phrases. So before you go to China get ahold of this book; you will not be sorry--I guarantee it!

Best China How-To Book Out There

I just moved to Shanghai a month ago and bought several books beforehand to familiarize myself with the culture and etiquette. A friend of mine gave me this one as a going away present. I read it on the plane over (cover to cover - it's a short book) and it was the most candid and informative books on China that I've read so far. Larry writes in a story-like format so it keeps your attention and helps you retain the info better. The encyclopedia-like guide books just don't keep me engaged after the first few chapters. His amusing anecdotes help portray Chinese life and accurately describe the people, customs and culture. I would highly recommend this book to anyone visiting or moving to China. I've convinced my family and friends to buy the book to help prepare them for the culture shock when they visit.

Useful!

This is a very useful little book that picks up where most sight-seeing guidebooks leave off. The section on customs is invaluable. We learn how to be polite (take and offer gifts and even business cards with both hands) , where to be assertive (those people aren't cutting ahead of you in line - there is no line!), and when to bargain (not my strong suit, but now at least I know to start at 20% of the suggested price). The section on the Chinese language is unusually comprehendible. The authors, who have taught Chinese for years, make basic communication surprisingly easy. This has become the book I send to China-bound friends who have no previous Chinese language experience. China Survival Guide contains lots of good information on a wide range of subjects. With the authors' personal (and often self-deprecating ) travel stories woven throughout, the book is a delightful way to get inside contemporary Chinese culture and equip ourselves for the variety of situations that we may encounter in our own travels.

Sister Says: Buy This Book!

Go figure! How could two Jewish kids from suburban Chicago become so immersed in things Chinese?! I'm a qigong and yoga teacher in Florence, Oregon. My brother, an astoundingly talented professor of Chinese and Japanese languages, as well as a violinist with the Grand Rapids (MI) Symphony, found time in his busy schedule to knock off a book on China! His collaborator is his wife Qin, a Beijing native. Larry has taken many, many trips to China, some with Qin, most with student groups. From all the experience Larry and Qin have had comes this book, so that travelers can benefit from their guidance, much obtained through the school-of-hard-knocks ... in fact, the trip I went on with Larry is referenced three times, as we had so many misadventures from which a lot was learned! In fact, even if you never go to China, you'll have affirmed that whatever travails you're currently encountering, you're learning from them ... and you (or someone you know) may write about them in the future. How timely that this book has been published in time for the Olympics. Because China is such a popular tourist destination, many travel there all year 'round. A number of my students have purchased copies to give to friends traveling there. Its convenient size makes it easy to pack along. Even if you never go to China, the book will give you insight about this fascinating country, and it's fun to read, as my brother has a marvelous sense of humor (I even experienced his translated-into-Chinese Woody Allen stand-up routine for a bunch of Mongolians on Mt. Emei ... read more about THAT misadventure in the book!) While other books can give you information on regions and destinations, Larry and Qin's book tells you how to deal with everyday survival skills, such as finding clean drinking water, using toilets, purchasing goods, crossing the street (the last time Larry was in Shanghai, his foot was run over by a bicyclist trying to weave her way through automobile traffic ... learn from his misery and avoid it!) As a former MBA, I can tell you that, at $9.95, this book delivers a laudable Return on Investment!