Book Review: Yunnan, by Stephen Mansfield, ****

Yunnan mountains and temple

Synopsis

Located in southwest China, this geographically and ethnically diverse region is the centre of a growing focus on tourism. This guide covers Yunnan's many attractions including the provincial capital of Kunming, legendary Yangtze and Mekong rivers, Buddhist stupas and Tibetan border monasteries. You also get detailed insight into Yunnanese history and culture, giving an all-round picture of this intriguing province.


Review

As is often the case with Bradt guides, this book is the best available on the culture, history, art etc of Yunnan. In a concise 250 pages you get as much as most tourists will ever digest on what makes Yunnan... Yunnan. And indeed this book makes you want to go there. I used it during my trip in Yunnan in May 2011 and found it highly informative and to the point.

For info on hotels, restaurants and other practicalities go to Lonely Planet or the web. This is never Bradt's strong point and in any case this book is from 2007, and the way things change so fast in China it is bound to be out of date. But the cultural information will remain relevant for some time.

See my other reviews of books on China in this blog.