Job Discussion Forums

[okashi99]

I have a job offer in both places. I have heard great things about Kunming, but little about the other. Any opinions/thoughts would be great!
Allaina
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[J.D.]

Some call it potatto, some call it potatoe. Some call it tomatto, some call it tomatoe.

In other words, this is China man - its six of one and half a dozen of the other.

Be brave - flip a coin and take your chances. Be a sport!

[Jacob]

I have been to both places and Kunming is without a doubt the better of the two.

[Roger]

I think it is preposterous for you to expect others to make up your mind as to which place is suited to you.

I suggest you peruse some literature on these two places, for example a LONELY PLANET or a ROUGH GUIDE.
If you can't stand sweltering humid climates, then Chengdu is not for you. Its winters are damp too, and chilly!
On the other hand, it is a lot more culturally advanced than Kunming is. Better infrastructure, more entertainment, better shopping venues, more jobs, better pay! It is not far from scenic and cultural highlights such as Leshan, Emeishan and so on.

Kunming is smaller, more compact, located on an altitude of around 1800 meters above sea level, giving it a very pleasant climate almost like in a temperate zone country. WInters bring occasional snow, and many houses are not heated!
But the city itself is uninspiring. Its its environs that make it charming. You can explore Yunnan's scenic uplands inhabited by various different nationalities. It is a backpacker's paradise.
But there are fewer job opportunities, and pay generally is lower. Yunnan is not exactly a poor province, but it is not an economic powerhouse either.

Upt to you to choose!

[chastenosferatu]

The more I have travelled and seen of China the more it is literally all the same. The only thing that changes is the geography of the surrounding area, the cities are the same, the look, smell, sound and feel absolutely the same. The only exception to this has been Dalian. Follow Roger's advice and do some research, one word of advice DO NOT trust anything you find about some place in China that was written by or for the Chinese. Those sites and sources will give you nothing but unadulterated bull(*$).

[pratyeka]

I lived there 6 months from 2001/11 onwards. It rocks. "Occasional snow" is true, but most years there is none, and when it does come it's (except VERY occasionally, as in once in 50 years or something) very light and melts by morning. Temperature is NOT a problem. Wind is, for a few months of each year .. can get quite annoying in fact.

Faaaaaaaaaaaantastic place though, mountains nearby, lots of parts of the city to explore, etc. To me, it's an amazing city. I would love to go back and live there if I could find a job and other commitments permitted (I left, did some more travelling, and now I'm stuck in education).

It's great for bicycling ... pretty much flat.

I can highly recommend it.

[arioch36]

If you truly want a good response, you should do a little more work. Why did you pick these two places? How should we know what interests you?

Prima Facia Kunming rules over Chengdu. The weather is much more moderate in Kunming. Chengdu has more pollution, and Kunming is more "Chinesey". Chengdu does have the Panda bears. Sichuan is "known" for its spicy food, and has some nice mountains.

The reality...it's a crapshoot. You don't know where your school will really be located. It could be out in the boonies near a garbage incerator. I thought I was teaching in the wonderful cosmopolitan city of Zhengzhou, capital of Henan, the cradle of China's 5,000 year civilization. Thus I was on pins and needles, eagerly anticipating my adventure. Turns out the school, a high school in Shangjie, said they are in Zhengzhou near a wonderful park with a lake. he lake would take me two minutes to walk across (not deep enough to swim in) and the trees in the park had to be dusted every morning because of the aluminum factory next to the school. And it took an hour at least by bus to get to Zhengzhou.

So the school may not be anywhere near the city it claims (growing more common). You may go to what you think is a great place and be working with with ogres.

It's a crapshoot.

Glad to be of help

[gerard]

This question has been posted before. What I would do is look at a map and pick the one closer to Vietnam. You will be glad you did when on your first vacation you are riding the rails to Hanoi. Assuming you have a multi-entry visa.