Job Discussion Forums

vancanman · Joined: 10 Dec 2005 Posts: 29

I plan a return to China after some time away. I lived in SH a few years.

Can anyone comment on cities like: Chengdu, Chongxing, Suzhou, Hangzhou, and so on?

Salaries? Cost of living? Comfort of living?

I went back several pages and don't see many comments on living in these so called 2nd tier cities.

And I certainly don't trust the recruiters comments on these cities.

Well, let's get some discussion going here!

Steppenwolf · Joined: 30 Jul 2006 Posts: 1769

The cities you named are quite attractive on many fronts. Salaries tend to be decent enough to get by (or to even save a few bucks) and life there certainly isn't as austere as life in socialist Chinese cities used to be.
Actually, CHengdu seemed to me to be a very friendly place to make one's acquaintance with CHina on a good footing; Hangzhou and Suzhou are quite similar though there are more migrants there, which leads to more friction among the Chinese communities (my impression) and I also feel the physical attractions of Suzhou to be a tad overrated (it's cultural legacy isn't that much to speak of any more).

But you won't find the insouciance and nonchalance that mark the authorities' attitude in Shanghai, for example!

Steppenwolf · Joined: 30 Jul 2006 Posts: 1769

The cities you named are quite attractive on many fronts. Salaries tend to be decent enough to get by (or to even save a few bucks) and life there certainly isn't as austere as life in socialist Chinese cities used to be.
Actually, CHengdu seemed to me to be a very friendly place to make one's acquaintance with CHina on a good footing; Hangzhou and Suzhou are quite similar though there are more migrants there, which leads to more friction among the Chinese communities (my impression) and I also feel the physical attractions of Suzhou to be a tad overrated (it's cultural legacy isn't that much to speak of any more).

But you won't find the insouciance and nonchalance that mark the authorities' attitude in Shanghai, for example!

vancanman · Joined: 10 Dec 2005 Posts: 29

Chengdu sounds alluring. Huge Intel operation. Beautiful women. Chain language mills are moving in. Great food.

I was there for 4 days a little over a year ago. Had a nice feel.

Must be someone living there that wants to say their piece!!

How does it compare to Suzhou, for example?

How are rents? Salaries?

jg · Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 1:13 am Post subject:

Suzhou and Hangzhou wouldn't count as second tier cities, I don't think. Suzhou has a good nightlife and very good restaurants, the main pedestrian street - shiquan jie - recently got a facelift, and just like Shanghai there seem to be some expats besides the FT, though most of them work and live in the office parks on the outskirts of town - an area I also found pleasant enough.

I really like Suzhou and its pace of life, you can walk around in peace after 7:30 or so but still have bookstores and whatnot, and its perfect for traveling to nearby cities. Its much more cosmopolitan than other cities its size that I visited. but I have heard its can be a bit difficult to find work there since its such an attractive destination - I remember infrequently seeing jobs advertised there in late 2005/early 2006.

I know that Suzhou changed quite a bit from my first trip there in 2003 to the last time I went about 14 months ago - it had a more developed veneer to it and seemed to be showing the benefits of its close proximity to Shanghai. One of my former coworker's husband was an expat banker or something for a company in Suzhou, consequently she lived in Suzhou and commuted to Shanghai - she loved Suzhou too, raved about the feel of the city.