Job Discussion Forums

Thome25 · Joined: 17 Jun 2004 Posts: 7

Hi, I'm currently entertaining offers to teach at universities in either Guangzhou, Hangzhou, or Nanjing, and cannot decide where I want go. Does anyone have an insights into which of these cities would be more preferable (stuff to do, weather, nightlife, cleanliness, etc.)? Also, how much should i request as a starting salary if i only have a Bachelors and know a little chinese? Any info would be a great help as I'm just trying to get an idea of what these cities are like. Thanks.

ContemporaryDog · Joined: 21 May 2003 Posts: 1477 Location: Wuhan, China

My fiancee says Hangzhou is very nice. Nanjing is supposed to be quite dirty and polluted like Wuhan. Guangzhou is good if you like a bnig modern city. Hangzhou sounds the nicest of those 3

lagerlout2006 · Joined: 17 Sep 2003 Posts: 985

As for salary Universities will not likely bargain much.Depends if they are public or not..If they offer 4000 you cannot ask for 8000---put it that way..I would expect a slightly higher salary in GZ.

I spent 3 days each in Nanjing and Hangzhou and 3 weeks in GZ...The short answer is I would choose Nanjing..I thought it had a bit of "charm" which is rare in big cities here...Also a friendly ex-pat area and the foreigners seemed to like living there..A fair bit of touristy stuff also and nightlife.
Hangzhou I thought was boring and over-rated but maybe I just didn't know where to go.
GZ is hot hazy crowded and hard to get around..On the other hand it might have the most to offer once you learn where things are. And you get the easy bnus of Macau and HK nearby.From what I hear be careful of the schools there. The best school might be what to look for here.

Cleanliness??? What's that? Wink

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

Maybe the first poster should ask native Cantonese, Hangzhouers and Nankingers why they became that in the first place.

kev7161 · Joined: 06 Feb 2004 Posts: 5880 Location: Suzhou, China

Well, of the three I have only been to Hangzhou (actually, I am living in Hangzhou):

Plenty of McD's, Pizza Huts, and KFCs. Naturally, hundreds and hundreds of Chinese restaurants and you can also find a little Italian, Mexican, and other international flavors.

Plenty of shopping with prices ranging from very cheap to very, very high.

Lots of bars, karaoke, dance clubs, performances, etc. for the night life.

Some historical places to visit (and lets not forget the lovely West Lake - it's like heaven on earth).

I can't say much for the weather: cold and rainy in the winter, cool and rainy in the spring, hot and rainy in the summer, and back to warmish and rainy in the fall.

Hangzhou is a big, bustling, crowded, polluted, town (but aren't they all?) with lots of construction going on and high prices. But, there is lots to do and lots to see. I'm kinda bored with the place.