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[latefordinner]

mixed feelings about DL. Some scenery, but not a lot. I still love walking along Binhai lu, and hiking up Dahei shan, but after that it gets a bit thin. A few nice parks.
Shopping has definitely changed in the past 8 years. It ain't BJ or Shangers, but DL is definitely getting its share of big-city neon and flash and big city prices. Problem is no one seems to have money to buy right now.
Traffic has definitely gotten worse in the 8 years I've been here. That not only  makes the daily grind that much worse, it also adds to the noticeable deterioration of air quality. Then there was the oil spill this summer. Officials are all beaming with pride about how quickly and how well it was cleaned up. Hmm. I've given up eating seafood for a while. To tell the truth, even before the spill I'd noticed that the beaches weren't as clean as they used to be. That many people using them, that much more garbage in the water.
Maybe I'm jaded, maybe its time to move. But after 8 years, this place is home to me now, warts and all.

[The Local Dialect]

What about Beijing?

Real estate prices in Beijing are way too high. I seriously could buy a house back home in the States for less than what it would cost to buy a modest apartment in Beijing. I don't think buying here is realistic unless you buy outside of the city, but then you need a car to get anywhere.

I lived in Kunming for five years and loved it but when my husband and I have talked about purchasing an apartment in China we've mostly been considering the area around Lijiang. The only drawback is that local schools there are awful and there are no international schools, but that wouldn't be a concern for everyone. It really depends what you're going for though -- convenience, natural beauty, availability of Western stuff, housing prices, etc.

I think Kunming (or Lijiang, Dali), Xiamen, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Dalian, Zhuhai, Sanya, and Guilin would all be decent choices, depending on what it is you're looking for.

[Nolefan]

What about Beijing?

I wouldn't buy in Beijing.. price per sqm outside the 5th ring road is about 15,000 RMB/sqm . Downtown, we're looking at prices starting around 30,000rmb/sqm
Also, the pollution can get to you sometimes but it's been better than before. we're used to blue sky days whereas we only had half a dozen of them before
that said, I don't think i would be able to live anywhere else at this point. This city has something going on every walking hour of every walking day and it just does not stop... I love it.

[Con ate dog]

Suzhou.  Gorgeous.  Real estate is high, but will just climb from here.  Interesting things to see: ancient inner city full of canals, nearby water towns, Shanghai. 

Chengdu's pretty cool, too.

Depends in the end on your preferred climate, exciting/peaceful index, size and cuisine.

[Pashley]

It also depends quite a lot on what you want to do, and what you want out of life.

The major coastal cities are where most of the action is. If you want a high-paying job, or if you have plenty of money and just want to be in a place with Western food, decent music, et cetera, then Shanghai or Beijing are first choices, with Hangzhou, Suzhou or Guangzhou close behind.

Just a nice coastal city with reasonable facilities but not too massive an expat scene? Xiamen, Zhuhai, Qingdao or Dalian might suit.

If you want exotic, lots of minority culture and a good base for travel, then the Southwest is one good place to be. Kunming or Chengdu top of the list if you want a city, Yangshuo or Dali for tourist towns, but there are almost no good teaching jobs there.

Alternately, for a more Silk Road and Muslim exotic China, perhaps Xi'an.

[Dex]

I loved Harbin when I visited it.

Of course, you'd have to like the idea of your nuts getting frozen over for most of the year. But man, did they know how to throw a party... kinda nutcases up there. There's also warm wine and the Northern Lights, snow festvials and the ice city which is outstanding. Forests with tigers on the prowl (not many though) and cheapo caviar.

[cobra]

xiamen is definitely up there with hangzhou for me

I heard from some people that Xiamen is nice place and one of the best cities in china to live in.I also like south.
Harbin is nice,but it's so cold there in winter, I don't like cold weather,moreover it's polluted.
Beijing is too crowded and polluted too. Dalian is not bad at all,I am also of good impression of Dalian, clean and nice sightseeings.Hangzhou is good for traveling, but not for living there,for it's heated not good in winter.
So,My choice now is Xiamen or Weihai.chengdu and Suzhou are also under consideration.

Thank you,guys!!!!

[xwarrior]

Expats rank Chinese cities

BEIJING, Apil 10 (Xinhuanet) -- The results of the “2011 Amazing China— The Most Attractive Chinese Cities for Foreigners” election are released. Expats choose Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and other cities as China’s 10 most attractive cities for foreigners.

More than 180,000 expats living in China participate the election through both paper and online voting, and about 1,000 have been surveyed during the second half of 2011 for their opinions on 18 aspects of Chinese cities. There are about 600,000 expats living in China, according to the 2010 national census.

Twenty cities emerged out of 353 Chinese cities (excluding Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR and Taiwan) as candidates. Based on the results of both paper and online ballots, a list of the top 10 cities was compiled.

The cities that made the top 10 list are: Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Suzhou, Chongqing, Xiamen and Hangzhou.

The “2011 Amazing China” election is the only Chinese city ranking based on the votes of expats in China. Votes are cast by expats in a wide array of professions and social ranks, ranging from Nobel Laureates and Chinese Friendship Award recipients to foreign employees based in China.

The survey collects opinions about four major indicators including policies, administration, working conditions and living environments of each candidate city. Each of the four indicators is further broken down into three to six subcategories where expats are invited to choose up to three of their favorite cities.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2012-04/10/c_131517590.htm

[Stil]

Did anyone here participate in this poll.

[NATO]

WTF, are these foreigners retards or something? Wuhan, chongqing...but no Hong Kong or Taibei? Weird. Maybe the participants weren't told they could choose those places, or like a lot of foreigners don't actually consider them part of China - Taiwan certainly isn't.

“Beijing is a wonderful city and with its history, culture and Olympic venues, is an excellent capital city that has a charm that is special and unique. The strong efforts being made to improve air quality and traffic control will make Beijing even more enjoyable.” said William Peter Poirier, with his balls firmly pressed between a vice and in between violent bouts of coughing brought about by bronchitis.

And the pictures are nice but, c'moooooon hahaha.

[Borkya]

WTF, are these foreigners retards or something? Wuhan, chongqing...but no Hong Kong or Taibei? Weird. Maybe the participants weren't told they could choose those places, or like a lot of foreigners don't actually consider them part of China - Taiwan certainly isn't.

Yeah, read it again, it says "excluding Tawain, HK and macau."

I'm not surprised about some, but I thought others, like Dalian or kunming would be on the list. 

[NATO]

Oh right, haha. I read it on here and on the Xinhua website still came away thinking it said "including"  . Well I can calm down now and restore some of my faith in people.

[adamsmith]

but the big question is who they surveyed. From the description it would appear that most of those who voted were here on expat salaries so they are not focused on the same standards of living that those who are teachers would share. They can afford to go to the better locations within those cities that we would only see as we walk by on our way to the next hole in the wall.