Requests for City Info

My impression of the place was not good. Large without being prosperous, developed, or sophisticated. And STINKING hot...it's usually included among the legendary "Four Furnace Cities of China" (along with Changsha, Wuhan, and Chongqing).

Thanks Raoul!  Similar replies from foreigners turned me off from the job, as the offer wasn't that much better than those I was getting elsewhere.  I tend to think China is really hot and dirty in the summer in general, I don't really want to go to a place that is famous for being hot and dirty.

Of course, I'm off to Wuhan. 

Ha yeah you will find Wuhan both hot and dirty. Where are you teaching? It's still a cool place to be, changing very quickly. The first subway line will be done next summer (allegedly) and in 10-15 years it will probably be a nice modern city. Until then, anything goes.

I'm going to be teaching at WUST Zhongnan, in Wuchang.  I heard it is better to be in Hankou, but such is the life of a uni/college teacher, I guess.

That subway must be a godsend. I've only visited Wuhan once, but the transportation seemed kind of crappy; navigating a a gazillion bus lines crawling through heavy traffic in the heat.

I remember there being lots of "food streets" in Wuhan (I think the breakfast street is in Wuchang), if you're into street food, which I definitely am (but then again, I think I've heard that Wuhan is the centre of the reprocessed nasty cooking oil scare).

So, I've been offered some summer work in Zhangjiagang.  Considering there are a lot of Suzhou people on this board, I was hoping that someone has been there or at least heard of it.  I'm not too thrilled with Nanjing, and would welcome the chance to live somewhere else for a month in between jobs... if it was at least kind of nice.  Can anyone chime in?

Hello everyone! First time poster here.

Does anyone have any opinions of Shenyang or Changzhi?

I saw from another thread (I believe it was about Dalian) that Raoul thought that Shenyang was a "poohole." I did not see any reasons why he thought this. After some cursory searches online it seems like Shenyang would be OK, but I prefer personal experiences.

I can not really find much of anything online about Changzhi, so any information on that city would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Welcome, FitchA!

I think Shenyang is a poohole compared to Dalian, but as such things go you could do much worse than Shenyang.

It's extremely cold in winter; it's too far inland to get the moderating ocean effect that Dalian enjoys.
I always found Dalian to be interesting and stimulating and progressive; a vibe I never got from Shenyang.
Shenyang struck me as being much grimier and uglier than Dalian.

Shenyang's one saving grace, the one thing that keeps it from being just another dull and dirty and frigid DongBei city, is the fact that it's home to a number of foreign consulates. This means you'll find foreign goodies and English-language conversations that you wouldn't enjoy in many other cities.

I've never even heard of Changzhi...it must be awfully small. Is it also in Liaoning Province?
Either way, small cities offer their own challenges. Some people love them and stay there a long while, and others will go barking mad within a month and return home in horror.
Search around The Saloon and you'll find numerous conversations about cities vs smaller towns.

Thanks Raoul!

Changzhi is in Shanxi province.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changzhi

As you can see there is very little information about Changzhi on wikipedia, so apparently no one else has heard of it either.

Thank you for the information about Shenyang! Cold winters will deter me very little as I have lived on the Illinois/Wisconsin border most of my life, and I went to school in Minnesota. The mention about the pollution is a dampener, but I think most cities would have that charming layer of grime.

Again, you have my sincerest thanks Raoul!

Ain't no thang, Bro.

The mention about the pollution is a dampener, but I think most cities would have that charming layer of grime.

True for northern cities, but another area where Dalian stomps Shenyang as a place to live. Dalian gets ocean breezes that sweeps much of the crap in the air out to sea for the Koreans to enjoy.   Coastal cities have by far the best air in the developed areas of China.
Shenyang, sadly, has no such cleaning system. What happens in Shenyang STAYS in Shenyang.

As for Changzhi...personally, a small town in Shanxi Province is my idea of Hell. That's just me; there are folks who love these venues.
Chances are it'll be a bit warmer than Shenyang, but even more polluted. MUCH more...Shanxi is the heart of the soft-coal mining (and burning) country. Not just the shitty coal, either...a lot of the nastier smokestack industries are there for the coal. It will likely be backwards, isolated, boring, and highly staring-intensive. Again personally, I can't imagine going there without some ability to speak Chinese. I would develop a case of the screaming woo-hoos in such a place.

Good call on not going to Changzhi without some skill in speaking Chinese. Currently I can say "I can not speak Chinese." and "beer."

I suppose I will stay far away from Changzhi.

Again, thanks for all the help Raoul!

Well...get more opinions, Fitch. Don't let any one person (even me!) (ESPECIALLY  me!) decide for ya. I think you'll ultimately decide rural Shanxi is not for you, but at least give it an airing.

If you really want to get in to the get-down funky down-wid-de-homeys full-force heart of China, a place like Changzhi would be great for that.
Just know that a lot of people who say they want that experience don't really understand exactly what that experience entails.

Hi all, I have just taken a post for 6 weeks in Shunde in Guangdong. I have found a little info on the place but am wondering if anyone can give me a bit of info from on it. Ie: nightlife, shopping, and transportation. Apparently I can take a ferry from HK there but not sure which terminals in HK to catch it at as there are a few. Anyway, any info will be helpful.
Thanks

I lived in Shunde in 2003 but if you want the lowdown, PM Brandex. I believe he has been living in the area for several years.

thanks Stil, what was it like back then? I imagine due to its proximity to HK that it was/is pretty much an industrial area similiar to Shenzen but on a smaller scale.