Job Discussion Forums

[hwing]

Does anyone live / work in Wuhan. What's it like there? (weather, pollution, recreation, quality of living, etc.) What are wages like compared to other cities?

[Scouse]

Wuhan has a well-deserved reputation, along with Chongqing and Nanjing, as one of China's three summer "furnaces" - between May and September (ie.now) you'll find the streets melting and the gasping population surviving on a diet of watermelon and ice-lollies. In winter, it is extremely polluted - I stayed on 30th floor in a hotel there, and in the morning was unable to see street-level clearly.

Most people stay on the northern bank of the Yangzi in Hankou, which is bursting with traffic and crowds but this is where you can walk, shop and eat especially in Zhongshan Dadao, which is packed with restaurants, stores and shopping plazas. There's a strong snacking tradition in town and an increasing number of Western-style cafes and bars (many livening up after dark)are springing up, with almost plague proportions of Western Fast-food chains. There's a great selection of food available, from seriously spicy Sichuanese hotpots to eastern-style steamed and braised dishes.

There is a What's On in Wuhan produced (not sure if you can access/find it on-line) which advertises teaching posts - average salaries seem to be 6,000-8,000 for 20 hours. Wuhan is markedly cheaper than Shanghai or Beijing.

[Laoshi1950]

A useful website, about living in Wuhan, that you can visit is -

www.wuhantime.com

I have lived and worked in Wuhan for three years now. But, I am moving to a new job in Beijing for the Fall Semester.

Wuhan is a huge, heavily-polluted industrial and university city of about 8 million people in central China. Wuhan is also the administrative capital of the Hubei Province. It is actually comprised of three cities which have been amalgamated - Hankou and Hanyang (north side of the Yangtze River) and Wuchang (south side of the river).

The Summers (June, July, August, September) are very uncomfortable and oppressive - the high temperatures combined with the very high humidity can be overwhelming at times! The Winters are quite cold and occasionally there is snow for a few days.

There are a few hundred foreigners living in the city - mainly business people, technical experts, and their families in the Hankou District, and also the foreign teachers and international students mainly living in the Wuchang District ( the main location of Wuhan's many universities).

There are many up-market department stores, as well as shops where you can buy western foods (breakfast cereals, pasta, cheese, etc) - like Metro (2 shops), Carrefour (3 shops), Wal Mart (2 shops). There are plenty of interesting restaurants to eat at, and there are some very good cinemas. And, of course, there are numerous KFC, McDonalds, and Pizza Hut outlets here in the city.

Wuhan is an industrial and administrative city - not a tourist destination! There are some local sights that are worth a visit, and 4 hours away by bus is the massive Three Gorges Dam project at Yichang.

Wuhan is a rapidly developing city. There is construction going on everywhere. So, the place can be a little dusty and noisy at times. Wuhan is a mecca for "migrant workers" from outside the city and from nearby provinces who come here to do a lot of the jobs that have been created in the free-for-all business environment of a fast-growing city!

Public buses within the city are cheap, frequent and always very crowded. Taxis are relatively cheap by western standards and plentiful - but, the drivers do not speak English. So, if you do not speak Chinese, you need to get a Chinese colleague to write out your destination addresses in characters for you to show to the driver.

The best way to get to Wuhan is by plane from Beijing or Shanghai or Guangzhou or Hong Kong. The city is well-serviced by Chinese domestic airlines. Their fares are reasonaable. The main city airport is called Tianhe Airport and is located to the north of the city. Wuhan is also a railway hub - so, if you like crowded train travel, then that is an option.

The cost of living in Wuhan is quite cheap by western standards - although, if you live the regular expat lifestyle, frequenting expensive western-style bars and upmarket 5-star hotel restaurants, you will find costs comparable with life at home!

Salaries in training centres and private schools are similar to those paid in other cities in China. But, the salaries offered by public universities tend to be lower than average for China. I don't know about the salaries in high schools, as I have not worked in them.

I have worked in China for six years now - and, my students have always been university students. I can not comment on the students in vocational colleges or in high schools or middle schools. From my university teaching experience, the most engaging thing about teaching in China is the students. Having said that, plain common sense will tell you that there are many exceptions to this generalization and some students can be lazy, and unmotivated!

Teaching and living in China can be frustrating, exhausting and confronting at times, and you will experience a number of seemingly 'bizarre' things. However, it does have its rewards, its joys and its satisfactions. I guess that if it didn't, I would not have stayed in China for the past six years!

I hope that this information is helpful for you. It is based on my perceptions and experiences of living and working in Wuhan for the past three years. Of course, other list members who reply will give you alternative opinions about Wuhan. Hopefully from these differing views, you can form a more 'balanced' assessment.

[tw]

A popular activity in Wuhan parks is prostate care on the spot for 50 RMB, i.e. HJ's.

[Laoshi1950]

Amazing - I have been here in Wuhan for 3 years and I never knew about this 'recreational/therapeutic service' provided in the city's parks before!

You really do learn something new every day!!