Job Discussion Forums

[waterchic6]

I am thinking about taking a teaching contract in Huludao, Liaoning province.

Has anyone lived there? Has anyone heard anything, good or bad, about the city?

Thanks so much for your input!!

[Roger]

I don't think anyone has...
Name sounds pretty alien - maybe a transliteration of a Manchu name?

Anyway, Liaoning has a rather frigid winter climate! Good luck! A lot of coaldust in the air!

[stavrogin2001]

Huludao is a city that was part of Jinzhou City, Liaoning years ago. Today it is a small city on the Bohai that is close to a few cities like Jinzhou, Xingzheng, and Shanhaiguan.
It is a quiet little beach town that is really hard to describe because I am not sure what you are expecting from China. As someone that has been here for four years and been to Huludao many times, I would say that it is a good place to be. The beach in Huludao and Xingcheng is great in the summer and the locals are friendly. But this can be said for so many cities.
My advise would be to understand that it is a small city and you are not going to have wild nights in expat bars with expense Indian food the next day. It is not Shanghai or Beijing, it is a sleepy little town on the beach. If you like seafood it is a great place to be where it comes in fresh everyday and is incredibly cheap.
Having said this I think that the only other thing that can be said is that with an open-mind and an earnest desire to experience China, you cannot have a bad time in Huludao. The locals are all very interested in talking with foreigners and will be a bit more thankful than the other bigger cities to have a foriegn teacher.
If you have some more specific questions, please feel free to PM me.

[Ruth]

Hello. My husband and I have lived in Xingcheng for the past 13 months. Huludao is our nearest big city. Actually, Xingcheng 'belongs' to Huludao. That isn't to say that Huludao is a major player as far as big cities go.

What Stavrogin said is accurate from my perception of the place. We go there to buy ketchup, English DVDs and to have a KFC fix occasionally. Last trip there we found a restaurant that served real western food and coffee with correspondingly high prices (for China). We did not come to China to live in a big city and hang out with other foreigners. We chose small town (if 750,000 can be called small) for a reason. Our experience has been so pleasant that we recently signed on for a second year and hope to spend many more here. The natives are friendly and anxious to assist us.

Last May holiday we stayed put and took day trips in the local area. Still didn't see it all. The folks from Beijing come here in the summer for vacation. It's nice to live in a vacation spot. We've taken two day-trips to Shanhaiguan to see the Great Wall (eastern most point) and other sites there. Last Spring Festival we took a 12 hour train trip to Harbin to see the Snow and Ice Sculptures. The school sponsored a trip to Dalian for us - about a 6 hour train trip. We are 3 hours from Shenyang by car, and that's the airport we flew into from the USA. Six hours to Beijing by train.

Spring and fall temperatures are lovely. Last winter the temps hovered around zero celcius - maybe as cold as -8 at night and some days as high as +10. We had very little snow. What did fall was swept away (literally, with brooms) and melted in a few days.

Our flat is comfortable with as many modern conveniences as we need. I would imagine a flat supplied for a foreign teacher in Huludao would be comparable to ours, maybe even better, as there is much new construction in Huludao.

We've noticed that our wages are less than what could be earned in Beijing or Shanghai, but I think living expenses here are much less. We can eat out every day and still save money.

Any more questions?

[waterchic6]

Thank you everyone! Your responses are very helpful!