Advantages: errr???
Disadvantages: See Opinion

...I am writing this for you on behalf of my brother who recently came to vist me in Sydney over the Christmas period and I don't mind if you don't rate it very highly I just wanted to share the experiance. We booked this flight with him through our travel agents, it was very expensive for an economy seat at around 1000 pounds but this was mainly due to the time of year he was traveling. He was flying via Bejing and the travel agent called Air China to confirm any visa requirements, a nice lady called Rebecca advised him that the only thing he needed was his Australian Tourist Visa to travel through Bejing. The day of the flight my brother checked in and there was no problems, this was his first ever flight and they went through everything with him, and told him wher to go. There were no delays in take off, and the first part... Read review

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Advantages: Great Sights, Changing Culture.
Disadvantages: Difficult Language

...are pretty regular to the major cities, we went with China Air and it was fine, plenty of leg room in economy (important for me i'm 6' 2") and operated just like a normal airline in every respect. We flew from Heathrow. Filght time is about 10 hours London to Bejing and China is 8 hours ahead of the UK. The currency is the Yuan and todays exchange rate is 13.8 to the pound I had no problem getting this in a local travel agent. Upon arrival you are asked to fill in a few forms but customs and immigration were fine with no real questions or searches involved (unlike Cuba which blooming well is scary). I was met by the guide at the airport and whisked away on a coach to our hotel. The Language The Chinese language is incredibly hard to understand and it is unlikley that you will pick up more than a few words while you are there... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Easy to read, split into stories, informative.
Disadvantages: You'll need tissues!

...the book down. They are shocking, emotional and will provoke a cry of outrage that women are still treated in the way that Xinran outlines. The unfair treatment they receive has to read to be believed. The fourteen chapters do have their advantages. Not only does it divide the book up nicely and provide self-contained episodes, it also gives a well-rounded view of life for women in China from many perspectives. It therefore does not put limits on itself. Each story demonstrates the incredible naivety of Chinese women in rural areas. For example, one asked whether you can get pregnant from holding hands. One common area of the various stories, however, is the general air of acceptance that women are inferior and do not matter to the more dominant male sex unless they can breed and provide male heir and, to a lesser extent, work their hands... Read review

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Advantages: Witty, fast paced, full of suspense
Disadvantages: Maybe a little bit hard to get into

...The story unfolds in Santa Barbara, home of our heroine, Evan Delaney. Evan's six year old nephew currently lives with her, his Dad being posted to the Naval Air Warfare Centre in China Lake and his mum's whereabouts unknown. Unfortunately, events turn sour when a funeral of a family friend gathers some unwanted attention from a religious cult called the Remnant. Sassy Evan, definately no shrinking violet, has a few choice words for the groups leader, Wyoming and from here, her adventures begin. Why does she get involved? Well, here comes the crunch (and I promise you this does not give away too much of the book!) - guess who has joined the Remnants? - Luke's Mum Tabitha! Guess what else? - They want Luke back! Now, who would trust an evil, gunweilding religious cult with a six year old? Not Evan! Unfortunatley, the Remnant... Read review

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Advantages: I'm still breathing.
Disadvantages: Terrible safety record, food horrific, poor piloting, absence of facecloths.

...There has got to be a better of getting to China than this. Of the many dometic and international flights I have been on, Air China have been the worst carriers I have ever flown with. Last week I took two long-haul flights (10.5 hours each) and two internal flights (2 hours each) during which I found the conditions aboard the plane to be very poor and, most alarmingly, the standard of flight well below average. On a short flight from Beijing to Nanjing we were due to land in perfect conditions, yet for no apparent reason the pilot threw us onto the ground with a sickening thud as sparks flew up from the wings. I have been on planes landing in the middle of the night in pouring rain which have still been smooth. Whoever piloted that particular flight required a lot more practice. The long-haul flights were generally... Read review

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Advantages: Beautiful pictures, great deal of info
Disadvantages: Inaccurate maps, dated information

...Have you ever heard anyone say: “I am going to DO Europe before I go and DO Asia and America!” Did you ever think to yourself: “What on Earth are they going to DO with or to these countries?” Well you have probably never thought of this that way but to me it came funny how the word DO equals VISIT in the cool-dude-of-a-backpacker language. I was going to become one of these people. And call me pathetic but cool is very high on my interest list. If I got to DO something, I DO it in style. And I was going to DO China. I can’t really say that the Lonely Planet guide to China made me want to pack my bags and fly to this colossus of a country on a first plane available. I always wanted to go there and by the point of the purchase I had already made it as far as Singapore on my way to China. It was my boyfriend (and a great travel buddy... Read review

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Advantages: Great cultural and historical perspectives
Disadvantages: Incessant grumbling of author becomes tiresome

...In recent years, China has, for me, lost some of its mysterious aura which has intrigued travelers for years. With the Beijing Olympics not far away, China is starting to open up to the outside world and is now at the heart of all kinds of statistics, used to illustrate just how much China is changing - that it is the world's biggest consumer of steel or that it has the fastest growing number of mobile phone users, for example. Paul Theroux's "Riding the Iron Rooster" was published in 1988; he had spent one year traveling China by train, covering the whole country in a series of trips (the "Iron Rooster" is the name of just one of the trains he travels on) during which he gave his impressions not only of the country and its customs but also the Chinese people. The trip takes him from the frozen forests of Manchuria, through the wilds... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Interesting easy to read novel
Disadvantages: None

...The author, Roma Tearne, was born in Sri Lanka and moved to Britain when ten years old. Before becoming a writer she trained as a painter and her work has been widely exhibited. Bone China is her second book and is a very enjoyable and moving story, following four generations of the de Silva family, from the 1930's onwards. The de Silva's are a Tamil family living in Ceylon, or Sri Lanka as it was. Grace is the family matriarch to a somewhat dysfunctional family and is the link that bonds all the characters of the book. Grace was born into a rich land owning family but she marries Aloysius for love and watches with great dignity as, over the years, he drinks and gambles away her family's fortune. Always trying to maintain the traditions and customs of her time, in a country every increasingly torn apart by political and civil... Read review

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Advantages: Fast, Delicious, Filling
Disadvantages: Relatively Pricey, Decor needs work!

...choice from my traditional favourites, how wrong I was. Prawn Toast, Chop Suey, all the standard sweet & sour dishes, the works! The main product offered by China One is the £3.95 meal deals. These come in relatively large polystyrene containers, not the most aesthetically pleasing, but the contents make up for it! The cointainer is then filled half with the dish of your choice (from a selction) and the other half filled with rice or chips. Fantastic value for money for the food, as I have difficulty finishing one! PRICE- China One does work out to be more expensive than most fast food places, as the meal deals do not include drinks, or any other side dishes you may require. Individual items also tend to be relatively expensive, which is why I stick to the meal deals whenever I dine there. Certain items can be great value when split... Read review

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Advantages: Always something to keep interest, Humour
Disadvantages: N/A

...Big Trouble in Little China is undoubtedly Kurt Russell's best yet. The tongue in cheek humour throughout a deadly supernatural, subterrain conflict is sublime. John Carpenter has hit a gem in this production. Kurt Russell acts as Jack Burton, a run-of-the-mill type guy who works as a truck driver, fancying himself as an entertainer and woman charmer. He crosses by an old friend, Weng Chi (Dennis Dun) in China Town, San Fransisco, on a dark and stormy night, and after a fun night of drink and gamble, and ten green bottles still standing on the wall, Burton is persuaded to accompany his bud to the airport the following day. Weng's fioncée is arriving from China, Mau Yin, with a rare characteristic for a chinese girl, green eyes. However, an old, evil, ghost magician is weaving his powers down under and to appease his spiritual rulers... Read review

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