Job Discussion Forums

[312]

I have my list of schools narrowed down to universities in these 2 cities. I've already bought a ticket from Chicago to Beijing for August 8. I should decide by Monday. I'm 26 and working on a novel. Warm/cold weather doesn't bother me, and I think I'd enjoy either developed or less-than-devloped cities. Still, it's a hard choice, having never been to China. Can anyone make a recommendation?

[caius celestius]

Few people rely on the personal rating of a city by other laowais; your decision should be made by you and not by someone else already in country.

I would say Yongchuan has less appeal for me because I never heard of it although I have been to Chongqing a number of times. It must be a town somewhere beyond those towering Sichuanese mountains, a hundred or so kms from Chongqing city proper. What is now called "Chongqing" is a formerly rural part of Sichuan that made up half of a province with a 100 million population. This whole new administative unit is a huge urban province - a 40'000 sq.km construction site.

Qiqihar will probably look quite provinci8al to you in comparison to Chongqaing. Its winters are icy, its summers hot and the breeding season of mosquitoes. You will find yourself on the edge of Siberia. Not a bad choice if you are interested in living away from core China.

[312]

Thanks for the info. Caius. I guess it's a toss-up, but I'm leaning toward Yongchuan if only because it has more of a tropical climate and I've been snowed in for too many Chicago winters

[caius celestius]

Tropicaql climate? It art not located in the tropics, but it hath less snow...to be sure.

Thou canst justify thy toss-up for Yongchuan gby saying "Yongchuanh art closer to where Zhou Yimou shooteth his film "Not One lost".