description: China is a fascinating and perplexing empire of stark contrasts: communist bastion and economic powerhouse; misty hilltops and scorched landscapes; yak-herding Tibetan villages and teeming industrial sprawl. Let this groundbreaking guide immerse you in the culture, customs and cuisine of the oldest civilization on the planet.  
  
  
    more than 220 maps with English and Chinese, plus city maps featuring Chinese script  
    user-friendly Mandarin, Cantonese, Tibetan, Uyghur and Portuguese language chapter  
    thousands of places to stay, from backpackers' meccas and secluded monasteries to Shanghai's swanky suites 
 
language: English
title: China
titlecomplete: China
genres: Reference, Asia, Guidebook, Nonfiction, China, Travel
ratings_count: 853
places: China
series: Lonely Planet Travel Survival Kit
publisher: Lonely Planet