About the guidebook

A Good Travel Guide Is a Good Start

For 23 years, China Self-Guided Travel has kept pace with the times and accompanied you.

In 2001, the first edition, Self-Guided Travel in China: Complete Handbook (2002 Latest Edition), was born. At the January 2002 Beijing Book Fair, it stood out among many similar titles and was eagerly ordered by distributors. That year it lived up to expectations, winning first place in the 2002 travel book category.

From 2001 to the present, over these 23 years, China Self-Guided Travel has consistently held the top spot. Beyond offering travellers richer travel information, more importantly, as the times developed, it tailored route planning and travel formats to the needs of different people, always accompanying travellers with more considerate content.

At first, China Self-Guided Travel aimed to give readers self-guided travel plans; gradually it became an encyclopaedic travel guide. After the introduction of statutory public holidays, it provided three-day and seven-day itineraries. As the economy grew rapidly and more people bought cars, self-drive trips became a convenient and popular way to travel, so the book also mapped out self-drive routes on different themes for these travellers.

Since many people now find it inconvenient to travel, we timely launched Cloud Travel to meet the travel needs of people of all kinds.

To date, China Self-Guided Travel has been published for 24 years, with 24 editions. Some loyal readers buy it every year; they say the book is detailed and thoughtful, and they can no longer do without it on the road.

China Self-Guided Travel will continue to uphold its mission of serving travellers and bring more and better content to everyone!

For 2002, our theme was 'Proven self-guided travel plans for readers', helping readers plan the most time-saving quick itineraries.

For 2003, we positioned the book as a 'highly visual, next-generation encyclopaedic travel guide'. That year, China Self-Guided Travel's market share rose to first place, and a special Audi-customised edition was launched.

2004: From 2003 to 2004, we successively launched series including China Ancient Towns Travel, Tea Horse Ancient Road, Adventure Bible, Mountaineering Bible and Hiking Across.

2005: Due to blind imitation, low-quality travel books flooded the market. That year, sales of China Self-Guided Travel continued to rise.

2006: China Self-Guided Travel marked its fifth anniversary, and we comprehensively revised the book, once again earning unanimous recommendation from distributors and readers.

2007: This year we began publishing the full-colour edition of China Self-Guided Travel, which quickly ranked among the top three on the travel book bestseller list.

2008: Congestion, difficulty buying tickets and 'seeing people instead of scenery' during long-holiday trips affected travel quality. Based on the 2008 statutory holiday adjustments, we fully revised the travel itineraries and also launched a custom edition for the Bank of China Credit Card Centre.

2009: China Self-Guided Travel exclusively published its 2009 travel trends report for the first time, revised the itineraries again, and added 80 self-drive routes as well as newly emerging key sights.

2010: China Self-Guided Travel comprehensively updated its 'city feel' descriptions and even revealed the travel insiders' best-kept secret, 'Latest money-saving methods unveiled', to help you spend every penny on your trip wisely.

2011: China Self-Guided Travel celebrated its 10th anniversary. This year the book's page count exceeded 900, nearly 100 quality attractions were added, and more than 1,300 fine photos were included.

2012: China Self-Guided Travel comprehensively revised its money-saving tips, trip preparation, photography guide and first-aid knowledge, aiming to make travel more convenient, economical and reassuring.

2013: China Self-Guided Travel expanded coverage of attractions across Taiwan as a reference for 'travel friends' visiting the island. We updated nearly 100 attraction transport maps and added icons for high-speed rail, expressways and national highways, so the maps work like GPS.

2014: China Self-Guided Travel, responding to the younger and more individualistic character of travellers, exclusively released its 2014 travel trends report, re-examined 200 popular attractions and updated 1,400 fine photos.

2015: China Self-Guided Travel added nearly 200 popular scenic areas, comprehensively verified nearly 2,300 attraction entries in the book, and added more than 300 attraction photos.

2016: China Self-Guided Travel exclusively released its 2016 travel trends report, adding 150 of the most travel-worthy popular attractions and 100 fine photos.

2017: China Self-Guided Travel exclusively released its 2017 travel trends report, comprehensively verified the 2,400 attractions in the book, and added 100 of the most travel-worthy popular attractions and 200 quality photos.

2018: We carried out a large-scale update of all the maps in the book. Based on 2018 travel trends and the travel experiences of seasoned travellers, and after evaluating numerous attractions nationwide, we carefully selected the most popular destinations.

2019: As family travel grew increasingly popular, science-education attractions became the first choice of many parents. We specially added information on museums and art galleries across the country, making sightseeing itineraries richer and more fun.

2020: We comprehensively reviewed the book's 2,100 classic attraction entries, added more than 100 popular attractions and nearly 100 verified tips, exclusively released our 2020 travel trends report, offered trendy popular destinations and routes, and introduced the 'N-day trip' plan.

2021: China Self-Guided Travel comprehensively adjusted, verified and revised information on 2,400 attractions, making it more comprehensive, in-depth and considerate. We added Cloud Travel content so you can tour the whole country without leaving home.

2022: China Self-Guided Travel comprehensively adjusted information on 2,390 attractions, screened and checked the internet-famous spots popularised by apps, and removed some non-essential sights, so travel feels more reassuring.

2023–2024: China Self-Guided Travel comprehensively adjusted information on about 2,400 attractions, added 'recommended visiting duration' to help travellers plan their time better, and supplemented information on attractions tied to popular outdoor activities such as camping and skiing.

In 2025, we fully verified and updated information for about 2,400 attractions, and added a list of “National Tourism Resorts.” We also placed greater emphasis on the cultural significance and experiential value of sights, and compiled trending new travel information, including popular “citywalk” routes and food-focused cities full of local flavour. We hope this unique perspective helps you discover new ways to travel.

Over 24 years, *China Self-Guided Travel* has built the closest travelling companionship with a million readers. We constantly pursue the most classic, popular and fashionable travel information, aiming to create one wonderful journey after another.