Yunnan: China South of the Clouds (Odyssey Guides)

I guess I am lucky with this book.I am a great fan of Yunnan, and that's mostly because of its fascinating ethnic/cultural mix. I spent over a month exploring the province years ago, impressed by the diversity and a strong traditions of its minorities.Back then guidebooks only covered a few popular tourist spots in Yunnan, basically the Kunming area, Dali, Lijiang, Zhongdian, Dehong and Xishuangbanna. A few more recent guidebooks promised more detailed and specific coverage, but none really delivered it.Now, this book does! It covers all corners of Yunnan, fairly realistically divided into a chapter on popular regions and off the beaten path ones. Better still, at least for me, the author just happens to concentrate on the very thing I am interested in, that is minority cultures, and offers great, detailed info on these for each region. That info is presented in a lively, sympthetic style - a great read. The photos are great, too - as usual for Odyssey guides.Now for the shortcomings. If minority cultures are NOT your main interest, you may find that information on other types of attractions, be it historical sights or especially nature, is very limited in comparision, and is buried in the text. Sights are not really highlighted in the flowing text, town maps are few and typically fail to show the location of most sights and places to stay. Practical information is even more limited. In the back of the book there is a list of hotels in key towns and cities, but it gives you neither price info nor even their names in Chinese script to help finding them. Transport information is, if anything, even more limited. Sure, I was not expecting Lonely Planet style detail on these, but even Odyssey guides usually do a better job at this!But then, I am the type of person who can usually find these things out once there. So this guide is almost perfect for me, especially when accompanied by Lonely Planet's  China's Southwest  guide for practical details.

I purchased and read this book as preparation for my recent trip to Yunnan. This is not your typical travel guide book because it does not focus on recommending restaurants and hotels. But that is exactly why I liked it. Instead, Goodman focuses on capturing Yunnan through descriptions of the geography, ethnic groups, history, cultural, etc. By the way, there's a reason Yunnan is called "south of the clouds". During my two week stay (March) there was not a single cloud in the sky. At an elevation of 2500 meters (8000 feet) the high plateau weather is comfortable most of the year - much like California weather. If you go, stay at the Linden Centre in Xizhou which is a boutique hotel created by restoring a Bai ethnic estate house. Don't miss this opportunity, because fast-changing China is sweeping away much that is old and unique.

The best, most in depth guide to Yunnan That I've ever seen. Excellent!

The book provides some useful background information about the cultures and history of Yunnan.The maps are unhelpful. There are nice photos but not enough useful information. There isn't much else about this beautiful province.

I haven't made my trip yet but the book gives me all of the aras I wanted. It gives me all the data I want without tryingto "sell" the area. The photos and the maps are excellent.

Traveled to Yunnan providence..wished I had the book before I left, but fun reading now that I have been there. Very accurate .

I expect the photos in this title as good as those in other Odyssey Guides. There are few outstanding photos, some are very dated. Overall, very disappointed.

good pictures--but they are hard to place on the map, but well worth reading

This is, by far, the most comprehensive guide on Yunnan. It deal with all aspects of culture, history, art, society, minorities, festivals, markets, etc and it is probably going to remain an invaluable resource for the intellectually motivated traveler for a long time.The books does NOT have much in terms of where to stay and eat, logistics, practical info. But this kind of book is not meant to. I recommend the Lonely Planet Southern China for that. But by all means buy this book if you want to have one reference work to turn to for your cultural interests and curiosity. It is a bit heavy to carry around, and there is no kindle version for now, but it's worth every gram!

You don't need to go to Yunnan to get this book, it is a delight to read if you are merely interested in south-west China. But make sure you do get it if you are planning to visit Yunnan, as it will give you all the background information as well as being an informative guide.

Very interesting and useful guide.

Zunächst einmal vorab: dieses Buch ist nichts für Liebhaber von pauschalen Schnupper-Reisen oder „Über-Flieger“, die alle möglichen Reiseziele auf der ganzen Welt im Schnellgang absolvieren. Es ist auch nichts für solche individuell reisende Globetrotter, die hauptsächlich auf Schnäppchen-Jagd sind und nach preisgünstigen Unterkünften mit genauen Telefonangaben und Eintrittsgeldern suchen, ohne sich der Mühe zu unterziehen, dies vor Ort selber zu recherchieren. Dafür ist dieses Buch nicht gedacht und mit 625 Seiten Umfang auch zu umfangreich und fürs Gepäck zu schwer. Solche Reisende sind mit Marco-Polo, Polyglott und ähnlichen Produkten besser bedient.Wer allerdings gründliche Informationen zu Land und Leuten sucht, der ist mit diesem Band hervorragend bedient. Der opulent aufgemachte Reiseführer überrascht bereits auf den ersten Blick mit vielen sehr guten Bildern, besonders mit Abbildungen der ethnischen Gruppen in Yunnan. Vor allem aber bietet er nicht nur eine Fülle von Informationen über die einzelnen Reiseziele mit ihren Sehenswürdigkeiten (einschließlich Burma Road und bisher von Reiseveranstaltern wenig besuchten Regionen), sondern auch zu ökologischen Zonen, zu Fauna und Flora sowie Geschichte und natürlich die Ethnien. Schließlich wird ein umfangreiches Kartenmaterial geboten, das zwar zehn Jahre nach Erscheinen des Buches in Einzelheiten überholt sein mag, aber dennoch eine gute Orientierung ermöglicht, besonders zu den Ortschaften, die man in vergleichbaren Publikationen nicht findet. Außerdem gibt es farbige Übersichtskarten, beispielsweise zu den ethnischen Gruppen in der Provinz. Zahlreiche Wiedergaben alter Bilder (z.B. über eine Expedition von 1866-1868) vervollständigen das Angebot.So bleiben keine Wünsche offen - es ist ein Standardwerk, das allen empfohlen werden kann, die sich umfassend über diesen wunderschönen „South of the Clouds“ informieren wollen, ausreichende Englischkenntnisse vorausgesetzt.Die Lieferung aus New York erfolgte übrigens innerhalb weniger Tage nach Bestellung.

Jim Goodman is one of the most knowledgeable authors on ethnic minorities in China, Thailand, and Vietnam. If you want to go beyond the surface and learn about the culture (rapidly disappearing under rampant globalization) of this diverse province, this is a must read. It is very nicely written and beautifully illustrated. This is not your traditional Lonely Planet guide. The same author has other books on Yunnan. Check Jim Goodman's web page at blackeagleflights.blogspot.com/