For newcomers to Beijing, the Insider's Guide will provide a deeper appreciation of its society and culture. For long term expatriates, who may feel that a lifetime isn't enough to understand the city, well, this book might just change their minds. This second edition benefits from invaluable reader feedback and has expanded to 700 pages covering all the usual subjects – housing, food, art, nightlife, etc. – and a number of the not-so-usual: avant-garde artists, filmmaking, eunuchs, and golf. Like its predecessor, it includes a number (120) of delightful and provocative essays on everything Beijing: from "cab complexity" to "pet sustenance", which raises this publication far above the standard guidebook fare. While it certainly informs, the Insider's Guide is more a socio-historical-cultural compendium assembled by 30 highly-individual contributors, both expats and locals. Smart reading – even for those so-called China hands who think they know it all.
China Intercontinental Press

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
December 2005 issue