“This is history on a grand scale, with a sweep and ambition that is rare... A proper historical epic of dazzling range and achievement.” (William Dalrymple, The Guardian) The epic history of the crossroads of the world - the meeting place of East and West and the birthplace of civilization It was on the Silk Roads that East and West first encountered each other through trade and conquest, leading to the spread of ideas, cultures, and religions. From the rise and fall of empires to the spread of Buddhism and the advent of Christianity and Islam, right up to the great wars of the 20th century - this book shows how the fate of the West has always been inextricably linked to the East. Peter Frankopan realigns our understanding of the world, pointing us eastward. He vividly re-creates the emergence of the first cities in Mesopotamia and the birth of empires in Persia, Rome, and Constantinople, as well as the depredations by the Mongols, the transmission of the Black Death, and the violent struggles over Western imperialism. Throughout the millennia, it was the appetite for foreign goods that brought East and West together, driving economies and the growth of nations. From the Middle East and its political instability to China and its economic rise, the vast region stretching eastward from the Balkans across the steppe and South Asia has been thrust into the global spotlight in recent years. Frankopan teaches us that to understand what is at stake for the cities and nations built on these intricate trade routes, we must first understand their astounding pasts. Far more than a history of the Silk Roads, this book is truly a revelatory new history of the world, promising to destabilize notions of where we come from and where we are headed next. Read more

The Travels of Marco Polo by Marco Polo Read by Walter Covell. Take a fascinating journey through strange and exotic countries. Marco Polo (1254-1324), is probably the most famous Westerner who traveled on the "Silk Road." With his 24-year journey through Asia he surpassed all other travelers in his determination, his writing, and his influence. He reached further than any of his predecessors, beyond Mongolia to China. He became a confidant of Kublai Khan (1214-1294). He traveled the whole of China and returned to tell the tale, which became one of the world's greatest travelogues. Read more

Ready to speak, read, and write Mandarin Chinese in just 30 days?This 7-book collection is your ultimate guide to mastering Mandarin Chinese, taking you from beginner basics to confident conversations—all in just 30 days!Are you a TikTok refugee exploring the social video platform RedNote (aka Xiaohongshu) and want to learn Mandarin to connect effectively with its vibrant community?Or maybe you’re planning a trip to China, want to understand Chinese songs, or need to talk with Mandarin-speaking colleagues. This series will guide you to Mandarin fluency.Here’s what you’ll learn:Book 1: Learn Mandarin Chinese for Adult Beginners — Master essential phrases, grammar, characters, and pronunciation with guided lessons that make learning Mandarin easy.Book 2: Complete Mandarin Chinese Workbook — Strengthen your skills with practical exercises on vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.Book 3: Learn Mandarin Chinese Through Engaging Short Stories — Boost your fluency by reading fun, easy-to-follow short stories.Book 4: Learn Intermediate Mandarin Chinese for Adults — Bridge the gap from beginner to intermediate in just 30 days with focused lessons and vocabulary.Book 5: Mandarin Chinese Practice Workbook for Intermediate Learners — Practice with targeted exercises to solidify your progress and advance your skills.Book 6: Advanced Mandarin Chinese Workbook for Adults — Achieve mastery with advanced grammar, vocabulary, and practical exercises.Book 7: Learn Advanced Mandarin Chinese with Short Stories — Delve into captivating reads that help you master Mandarin fluency and cultural insights.PLUS, get these FOR FREE:Learn Mandarin Chinese For Adult Beginners Video Course: The Ultimate Masterclass ($297 Value)Complete Mandarin Chinese Pronunciation Video Course: Sound Like a Native Today ($197 Value)Learn Mandarin Chinese in 30 Minutes Video Guide: The 500 English words & phrases you need to know! ($147 Value)Mandarin Chinese Flash Pack: 100 Mandarin Chinese Flashcards + 100 Audio Pronunciations + 30-Day Study Plan! ($97 Value)China Travel Guide + Cultural Guide ($97 Value)Mandarin Chinese Stories Audiobook ($47 Value)20 Native Mandarin Chinese Conversations Narrated ($27 Value)EXTRA BONUS: Free access to premium Mandarin Chinese learning software (Exclusive to our students) ($150 Value)That’s over $1000+ worth of bonuses included at no extra cost—grab them while you can!Why This Program Works:Step-by-step guidance: Each book builds upon the previous one for seamless learning.Practical exercises: Apply what you learn through real-world scenarios.Bite-sized lessons: Keep up the momentum with digestible content designed for busy learners.Wrapping It Up:You’re getting access to a comprehensive Mandarin learning bundle that includes:7 books packed into 1 collection8 exclusive bonuses filled with video courses, audio guides, and cultural insightsA fast-track system designed to make Mandarin learning effective and funWhether you dream of exploring the Great Wall, enjoying Chinese dramas, ordering dim sum, or connecting on RedNote, this bundle is your path to Mandarin fluency.That’s over $1089 worth of retail value… ALL for a fraction of what traditional language courses charge.So, it’s clear what you should do next… Order your 7-book series today and start speaking Mandarin confidently in 30 days. Your journey into China’s language and culture begins here! Read more

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Walking to Samarkand is journalist Bernard Ollivier's stunning account of the second leg of his 7,200-mile walk from Istanbul, Turkey, to Xi'an, China, along the Silk Road—the longest and perhaps most mythical trade route of all time.After crossing the final mountain passes of Turkish Kurdistan, Ollivier sets foot in Iran, keen on locating vestiges of the silk trade as he passes through Persia's modern cities and traditional villages, including Tabriz, Tehran, Nishapur, and the holy city of Mashhad. Beyond urban areas lie deserts: first Iran's Great Salt Desert, then Turkmenistan's forbidding Karakum, whose relentless sun, snakes, and scorpions pose continuous challenges to Ollivier's goal of reaching Uzbekistan.Setting his own fears aside, he travels on, wonderstruck at every turn, borne by a childhood dream: to see for himself the golden domes and turquoise skies of Samarkand, one of Central Asia's most ancient cities. But what Ollivier enjoys most are the people along the way: Askar, the hospitable gardener; the pilgrims of Mashhad; and his knights in shining armor, Mehdi and Monir. For, despite setting out alone, he comes to find that walking itself—through a kind of alchemy—surrounds him with friends and fosters fellowship. Read more

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What is the hardest challenge you’ve faced as a student of the Chinese language?You can work hard on your grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation, but being able to communicate naturally isn’t easy.In fact, the toughest part of learning Chinese is knowing how to speak like a native.Most textbooks are made to teach you the traditional rules and structures of a language and are great for getting around the grammar and spelling questions you may have.However, how many of them provide you the tools necessary to have a common conversation with a best friend or someone you’ve just met? Not many at all.Language learners often complain about this – a lack of material that can help you familiarize yourself with the most common phrases used in everyday conversation and in native surroundings.For this reason, we at Lingo Mastery have developed Easy Chinese Phrase Book: Over 1500 Common Phrases for Everyday Use and Travel for you, our favorite language-learner, so that you may find the best expressions for common usage in China and communicate with your Chinese friends, colleagues and client without any issue!In this book:An introduction with a detailed guide on how to pronounce vowels and consonants (as well as their combinations) in the Chinese tongue.A list of over 1,500 common phrases in Chinese, with an accurate translation in English for your understanding.A phonetics pronunciation guide of each and every word in the phrases, included after every translation.Finally, a conclusion to make sure you’ve learned and supply you with a final list of tips.Your days struggling with natural communication with natives is finally over. Our Easy Chinese Phrase Book is here.It’s time for you to take your (Simplified) Chinese to the next level. Read more

DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: China reveals the magnificence of China's greatest sights, including in-depth coverage of the Forbidden City and Terracotta Soldiers. The guide provides expert tips for visiting the Great Wall, cruising through the stunning Yangzi Three Gorges, and exploring the ultra-modern cities of Shanghai and Hong Kong.Explore China's cultural heritage through richly illustrated features on everything from the Beijing Opera to Confucianism, calligraphy, and the cult of Mao.DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: China includes 3-D cutaway illustrations, floor plans, and reconstructions of the major architectural sights, plus maps of the key cities and towns. The best places to stay and eat have been provided by resident experts and recommendations on regional specialties will ensure you don't miss China's best dishes. Markets and festivals are listed town by town.With hundreds of full-color photographs, hand-drawn illustrations, and custom maps that brighten every page, DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: China shows you this diverse country as no one else can. Read more

Lonely Planet's local travel experts reveal all you need to know to plan the trip of a lifetime to Hong Kong.Discover Hong Kong's most popular experiences and best kept secrets - neighbourhood by neighbourhood - from soaring over Lantau in a cable car to the Po Lin Monastery; to hitting up historic Temple Street Night Market in search of snacks, souvenirs and street life; and making a pilgrimage to forest-clad Victoria Peak for unbeatable city views.Build a trip to remember with Lonely Planet's Hong Kong travel guide:Our classic guidebook format provides you with the most comprehensive level of information for planning multi-week tripsUpdated with an all new structure and design so you can navigate Hong Kong and connect experiences together with easeCreate your ideal trip with exciting Perfect Day itineraries with suggestions of unmissable attractions and activities to match your passions, plus day trips from Hong Kong so you can explore the surrounding areasGet fresh takes on must-visit sights including Mai Po Wetlands; Sha Tau Kok; Hong Kong Geopark, and moreSpecial features on excursions to outlying islands; choosing your harbour cruise; and a shopping guideExpert local recommendations on when to go, eating, drinking, nightlife, shopping, accommodation, adventure activities, festivals, and moreEssential information toolkit containing tips on arriving; transport; making the most of your time and money; LGBTIQ+ travel advice; useful words and phrases; accessibility; and responsible travelConnect with Hong Kong culture through stories that delve deep into local life, history, and traditions Inspiring full-colour travel photography and maps including a pull out city map of Hong KongCovers: Central District; The Peak & Northwest Hong Kong Island; Wan Chai & Northeast Hong Kong Island; Aberdeen & South Hong Kong Island; Kowloon; Macau plus day trips to Tuen Mun; Yuen Long; Mai Po Wetlands; Fanling & Sheung Shui; Sha Tau Kok; Sai Kung; Hong Kong Geopark; Tai Po; Sha Tin; Tung Ping Chau; Clearwater Bay; Tsuen Wan; Tai Mo Shan; Tai O; Mui Wo & Discovery Bay; Hong Kong Disneyland; Big Buddha & Po Lin Monastery; Lamma; Cheung Chau Create a trip that's uniquely yours and get to the heart of this extraordinary city with Lonely Planet's Hong Kong. Read more

It was a major feat when, in December 1956, Marc Riboud became one of the first Western photographers to enter China after the Communist takeover of 1949. A member of the famed Magnum photo agency, Riboud was permitted to return to China at regular intervals over the next four decades, observing and recording the enormous changes that have taken place.French journalist Jean Daniel provides a thoughtful introduction and Riboud himself comments on each photograph, explaining the time, the place, and the circumstance. This is a book that will intrigue and disturb - through its insights into the soul of the Chinese people, and through its picture of a nation transforming itself with such wrenching speed. Read more

A New York Times Notable BookWinner of the Kiriyama Book PrizeIn the heart of China's Sichuan province, amid the terraced hills of the Yangtze River valley, lies the remote town of Fuling. Like many other small cities in this ever-evolving country, Fuling is heading down a new path of change and growth, which came into remarkably sharp focus when Peter Hessler arrived as a Peace Corps volunteer, marking the first time in more than half a century that the city had an American resident. Hessler taught English and American literature at the local college, but it was his students who taught him about the complex processes of understanding that take place when one is immersed in a radically different society.Poignant, thoughtful, funny, and enormously compelling, River Town is an unforgettable portrait of a city that is seeking to understand both what it was and what it someday will be. Read more

This beginner-friendly guide teaches you how to speak Chinese quickly and easily by drawing parallels with something you already know—English!Chinese is a fascinating language that can seem quite difficult to learn at first, but can be picked up easily if you focus on practical, daily conversations. This revised edition contains new dialogues, cultural notes, IT and social media vocabulary, and new manga illustrations.Designed for anyone who wants to speak and understand conversational Chinese—whether for business, pleasure, or travel to China—this lighthearted guide makes language learning fun!Real-life dialogues and situations help you to converse with confidenceSentence pattern exercises and drills help to reinforce what you are learningNative-speaker audio recordings enable you to pronounce Chinese vocabulary accuratelyInteresting notes, idioms, sayings and poems introduce you to Chinese cultureChinese for Beginners contains many extra hints and tips drawn from the authors' many years of experience in teaching the language to foreigners. Answer keys for the exercises are provided, and an "Extend Your Vocabulary" section in each chapter helps you to remember and understand more words than you'd think possible! Read more

One of The Economist's Best Books of the YearFrom the bestselling author of Oracle Bones and River Town comes the final book in his award-winning trilogy on the human side of the economic revolution in China.Peter Hessler, whom the Wall Street Journal calls "one of the Western world's most thoughtful writers on modern China," deftly illuminates the vast, shifting landscape of a traditionally rural nation that, having once built walls against foreigners, is now building roads and factory towns that look to the outside world. Read more

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A century ago, outsiders saw China as a place where nothing ever changes. Today the country has become one of the most dynamic regions on earth. In Oracle Bones, Peter Hessler explores the human side of China's transformation, viewing modern-day China and its growing links to the Western world through the lives of a handful of ordinary people. In a narrative that gracefully moves between the ancient and the present, the East and the West, Hessler captures the soul of a country that is undergoing a momentous change before our eyes. Read more

Sunset Survivors tells the stories of Hong Kong’s traditional tradesmen and women through stunning imagery and candid interviews. Covering a myriad of curious professions that are quickly falling into obscurity, from fortune telling to face threading and letter writing to bird cage making, readers soon find themselves immersed in the streets of old Hong Kong. Filled with interviews, photographs and little-known facts about the city’s twilight industries, Sunset Survivors is a tribute to those who keep the flame burning in a city besieged by foreign imports and stiff competition. This book is a celebration of Hong Kong’s cultural identity. It preserves the memory of these hardy men and women, and educates visitors and locals on the foundations on which the city was built. An up-close and personal look at the industries and workers that gave rise to the Hong Kong of today, Sunset Survivors is more than just a travel or coffee-table book; it is a tribute to the city’s character, a celebration of its roots and a guide to its evolution.In a city undergoing a dramatic cultural shift, balancing social and political upheaval, the need to document Hong Kong’s traditional livelihoods has seldom been greater. Capturing the true personality of this metropolis, Sunset Survivors is a vital piece of history. Read more

A stunning tour of China, its people, and its history. Chosen as one of the best travel books of 1996 by the New York Times Book Review. Rising in the mountains of the Tibetan border, the Yangtze River, the symbolic heart of China, pierces 3,900 miles of rugged country before debouching into the oily swells of the East China Sea. Connecting China's heartland cities with the volatile coastal giant, Shanghai, it has also historically connected China to the outside world through its nearly one thousand miles of navigable waters. To travel those waters is to travel back in history, to sense the soul of China, and Simon Winchester takes us along with him as he encounters the essence of China--its history and politics, its geography and climate as well as engage in its culture, and its people in remote and almost inaccessible places. The River at the Center of the World is travel writing at its best: lively, informative, and thoroughly enchanting. Read more

The modern classic that redefined the travel food memoir, with a new foreword from Bee Wilson.Fuchsia Dunlop, the first Westerner to train at the prestigious Sichuan Institute of Higher Cuisine, “has done more to explain real Chinese cooking to non-Chinese cooks than anyone” (Julia Moskin, New York Times). In Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper, Dunlop recalls her rapturous encounters with China’s culinary riches, alongside her brushes with corruption, environmental degradation, and greed. The resulting memoir is a vibrant portrait of Chinese culinary culture, from the remote Gansu countryside to the enchanting old city of Yangzhou. The most talked-about travel narrative when it was published a decade ago, this reissue of Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper remains a thrilling adventure that you won’t be able to put down. Read more

DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Beijing and Shanghai is your in-depth guide to the very best of these two metropolitan cities.Take in the major sights, from the breathtaking Great Wall of China to the imperial splendor of the Forbidden City; go on a canal cruise for your chance to contrast the old and new sides of Shanghai; or simply wander the cities' seemingly endless markets.Discover DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Beijing and Shanghai   • Detailed itineraries and "don't-miss" destination highlights at a glance.    • Illustrated cutaway 3-D drawings of important sights.    • Floor plans and guided visitor information for major museums.    • Free color pull-out map (print edition) marked with sights, a selected sight and street index, public transit map, practical information on getting around, and a distance chart for measuring walking distances.    • Guided walking tours, local drink and dining specialties to try, things to do, and places to eat, drink, and shop by area.    • Area maps marked with sights and restaurants.    • Detailed city maps include street finder index for easy navigation.    • Insights into history and culture to help you understand the stories behind the sights.    • Suggested day trips and itineraries to explore beyond the city.    • Hotel and restaurant listings highlight DK Choice special recommendations. With hundreds of full-color photographs, hand-drawn illustrations, and custom maps that illuminate every page, DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Beijing and Shanghai truly shows you these cities as no one else can.Recommended: For a pocket guidebook to Beijing, check out DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Top 10 Beijing, which is packed with dozens of top 10 lists, ensuring you make the most of your time in the city.Series Overview: For more than two decades, DK Eyewitness Travel Guides have helped travelers experience the world through the history, art, architecture, and culture of their destinations. Expert travel writers and researchers provide independent editorial advice, recommendations, and reviews. With guidebooks to hundreds of places around the globe available in print and digital formats, DK Eyewitness Travel Guides show travelers how they can discover more.DK Eyewitness Travel Guides: the most maps, photographs, and illustrations of any guide. Read more

Money-saving tips and expert China travel advice from a 10-year expat and professional travel writer! China as a travel destination can be daunting, overwhelming and frankly a bit scary.But it doesn't have to be.Whether you're still weighing the decision or you've already purchased your flight tickets, this unique China travel guide is an indispensable resource for any traveler. This is everything you need to know before you travel to China - the things that other major travel guides gloss over and expect you to figure out on your own.What This China Travel Guide Book Will Teach You:How to Apply for a Visa: What China visa do you need and are you eligible for China's visa-free transit?How to Prepare for Your Trip: Do you need vaccines? What about healthcare in China and do you need travel insurance?Money in China: Mobile payments are huge in China, but short-term travelers can't use it. So what options do you have and how will you pay for things?How to Travel Within China: It's not about where to go, it's teaching you how to get there. Guides for trains, planes, taxis and buses!How to Stay Connected: Can you use your phone in China? Is China's internet censored and how do you get around that?All About the Chinese Language: Can you travel without knowing Chinese? If so, how? And what is the best way to learn before you go?All About Staying Healthy: What should you know about Chinese hospitals? Is travel insurance a good thing for China?FAQ: Get answers to the most frequently asked questions about China travel.Bonus Features:Downloadable Packing List: Download and print a travel packing list that will prepare you for your travels to China!Recommended Travel Operators: A listing of the best local travel operators that can give you the most unique local experiences.Special Discounts: Get exclusive discounts on the travel services every traveler uses.The discounts alone could save you hundreds of dollars as you plan your trip!China Travel Guide 2019This is an excellent companion guide to any major travel guide book to China - no matter if you're traveling solo or with a tour group.Follow the travel advice trusted by millions of China travelers every year!About TravelChinaCheaper.com: First launched in 2013, Travel China Cheaper has grown to become one of the most trusted and respected sources of China travel information. Each month, over a quarter of a million readers get unbiased answers to questions in an easy-to-understand format. Read more