Beijing Time

The two earlier reviews I read are essentially correct. A careful academic work this is not. It's more like a graduate level Lonely Planet guide. And that is what I wanted from this book, so I give it high enough marks. The authors actually did take LP to task at one point, at which point I thought to myself regarding this book's weaknesses, "Physician, heal thyself." And like good LP guides, it is generally superbly written, fresh, and interesting. I just returned from Beijing, and visited many of the same sites as this book. It cast new light on them, in some occasionally overheated rhetoric. That said, I wish I had the book in Beijing as there are a few more places I would have visited. I thought the strength of the book was in its first half. This contained a description of Beijing's architecture and grand urban plan--its Cartesian nature with the y-axis the old imperial city, and the newer x-axis being the Communist contribution, with the Tiananmen Gate/The Great Helmsman at the origin. The authors are at their peak here, connecting architecture and politics. Its second half weakened (for me anyway) into bar-hopping, shopping excursion descriptions, and a too-long description of the second hand CD scene. It was too much like one of the more vapid "Style/Escapes" sections of the modern NYTimes. Nevertheless, the authors brought some new insights to me and held my interest through a rapid four hour read over two days.

I recently lived and worked in Beijing for a period of three years. I would have very much appreciated the opportunity to have read this book prior to my arrival. It would have enabled me to better understand what I was seeing & experiencing all around me. Highly recommended for diplomats, business reps and ex-pats heading in that direction for both short and long term stays.