China Confirms Ban on Lonely Planet Guidebook

Cover your Lonely Planet Guide to China in brown paper, or just make a copy of what you’ll need to know on your next trip to the country. That’s advice from the guidebook company after the Chinese government officially announced that it had banned the Chinese guide over objectionable content.

The ban has been imposed because of a dispute over Lonely Planet’s representation of Tibet and China as two separate countries. China has long held that Tibet is a part of the mainland, and has firmly advocated the return of the province back to China.

Rumors of a ban on the edition have been floating around and travelers reported confiscation of the book at remote Chinese posts. However, it’s only now that the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed, well, yes, we did ban the book – last year.

Just another example of Chinese intrigue at play? No one seems to know why the delay in announcing the ban, although Lonely Planet had suspected there were some “issues” with the China edition. Stranger still, China doesn’t seem to mind guidebook accounts of controversial events like the Tienanmen Square or the Cultural Revolution, while Tibetan borders outlined on a map are enough to send officials into a tizzy.

Lonely Planet however reiterated that they wouldn’t change any content, regardless of whether the ban was extended or revoked. Good for them. Way to stick it to the man.