Lotus Eater wrote:
I am a fan of Xi'an. (Sorry!)
Smack in the middle of China if you leave out a couple of protrusions like T and Xinjiang - and there are people who want to leave them out! Transport to anywhere in China is easy from the middle. International airport.
Enough western things to make your life comfortable - Metro, Parkson etc. nightclubs, bars and coffee houses. Enough 'old China' to make the place fascinating. The City Wall is one of the oldest still around (and one of the newest - they have joined up the missing bit again just this year!). Markets, night markets, small alleyways, dodgy restaurants, plenty of street food.
Then of course there are the Warriors, Big and Small Wild Goose Pagodas, mausoleums everywhere, cave dwellings just outside the city, easy proximity to some gorgeous scenery - Hua Shan, Cui Hua Shan, Qinling Mtns. Countryside is an easy bus trip - no dramas.
Taxis are cheap - 6Y for the flagfall. Mototaxis are cheaper :>)) Buses run everywhere often. There are thousands of taxis - the only time it is difficult to catch a taxi is change over time when they only want to travel in the direction of the driver swap!
Plenty of educational institutions always looking for teachers and plenty of side offers for work if you want it.
Downside - pollution can stop you from seeing long distances. The occasional dust storm from the northwest in spring. The place is dusty.
Summer gets hot, winter is cold (but I am a Queenslander, so your cold will not be the same as my cold!!) Last winter was apparently the biggest snowfall they had for years - but I was here and WANTED lots of snow!! But it was still nothing like the snow in Canada or the US or even far south of Oz.
Heating - on in October and off in March - around the 15th for both.
It's a great place to come to.