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vikuk
Joined: 23 May 2007
Posts: 1842
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 Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 1:14 pm Post subject: |
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| Again to the OP. Despite what Vikuk says, IMO Xian is an awesome city |
I stand corrected - London, Paris, Tokyo, New York and Xian  |
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Sinko
Joined: 21 Apr 2005
Posts: 349
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| Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 2:14 pm Post subject: |
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Awesome post DR!!! Some people just come on here and and go on and on and on, whinge, whinge, whinge, moan, moan, moan about their dancing monkeys, like everybody in China is based on their stereotype FTs. I wish you continued success. You're a smart person, DR.
I found Xi'an to be a top place. My job will take me back there again soon and I'm looking forward to it. I love the wide streets and the layout of the city.
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| I stand corrected - London, Paris, Tokyo, New York ... |
C'mon Vik, get with the times. They are boring, overrated, expensive cities. How about:
Vancouver, Geneva, Perth, Dubrovnik, Prague. |
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PattyFlipper
Joined: 14 Nov 2007
Posts: 572
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| Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 3:10 pm Post subject: |
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| Sinko wrote: |
| Quote: |
| I stand corrected - London, Paris, Tokyo, New York ... |
C'mon Vik, get with the times. They are boring, overrated, expensive cities. How about:
Vancouver, Geneva, Perth, Dubrovnik, Prague. |
London, Paris, Tokyo, New York, boring? My, how jaded we are. As to Perth and Geneva, I suppose there is no accounting for taste. The Swiss wrote the book when it comes to boring. |
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Moon Over Parma
Joined: 20 May 2007
Posts: 819
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| Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 7:41 pm Post subject: |
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| Sinko wrote: |
| Awesome post DR!!! Some people just come on here and and go on and on and on, whinge, whinge, whinge, moan, moan, moan about their dancing monkeys, like everybody in China is based on their stereotype FTs. |
Agreed. An "ignore" option would be nice. Some forums have such a thing: it allows you to add certain posters on a filter and when you read threads they are delightfully free of having to sort through the jaundice/vitriol that seems to be the modus operandi for some regulars here. The function provides a user the opportunity to find some rational, factual, on topic posts. I'm not sure if the technology exists on this forum, but it's a great thing. I appreciate much of this thread, but there do seem to be some individuals intent on obscuring points and diluting answers with their personal agendas that I wish I could filter out. They seem intent on doing this on many, many posts here. They do not deserve censorship, but having the personal freedom to filter them out makes for pleasant reading. As for Xian, it's definitely on my list of places to check out. |
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vikuk
Joined: 23 May 2007
Posts: 1842
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| Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 5:07 am Post subject: |
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Well lets take a closer look at some of Xian awesome
http://shanghaiist.com/2006/12/18/beijing_is_dirt.php
A survey on pollution makes Xian Asia's second most polluted major city - just one place above Beijing.
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1- Beijing
2- Xi'an
3- Kathmandu
4- Dhaka
5- New Delhi
Air pollution in these cities is five to six times as high as levels that the World Health Organization considers safe and at least three times as high as levels in the largest European and American cities |
Now that is a bit of real objective awesome - and some useful info for anyone interested in their own personal health - who wanted to go live in Xian 
By the way - that survey was carried out with no reference to who I am - but once again expect "he's only a bitter whinger" type responces to this post 
Last edited by vikuk on Tue Nov 20, 2007 5:34 am; edited 1 time in total |
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PattyFlipper
Joined: 14 Nov 2007
Posts: 572
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| Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 5:14 am Post subject: |
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| Moon Over Parma wrote: |
| I appreciate much of this thread, but there do seem to be some individuals intent on obscuring points and diluting answers with their personal agendas that I wish I could filter out. They seem intent on doing this on many, many posts here. They do not deserve censorship, |
This is a discussion board, which by it's very definition will attract diversity of opinion. If every post here resembled the slanted drivel put out by the likes of the China Daily, it would make for very dull reading, and be of extremely limited functionality. In addition to the positives of working in China, there are drawbacks and potential pitfalls of which every unsuspecting newbie should be aware, and it would be a very foolish person indeed who dismisses out of hand the opinions and experiences of seasoned posters, simply because they are not what you want to hear. Hidden agendas are not the exclusive preserve of those who hold negative opinions, and less than positive comments serve as a useful counterfoil to some of the more rose-tinted views of living and working in China. |
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Moon Over Parma
Joined: 20 May 2007
Posts: 819
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| Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 5:35 am Post subject: |
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| PattyFlipper wrote: |
This is a discussion board, which by it's very definition will attract diversity of opinion. If every post here resembled the slanted drivel put out by the likes of the China Daily, it would make for very dull reading, and be of extremely limited functionality. In addition to the positives of working in China, there are drawbacks and potential pitfalls of which every unsuspecting newbie should be aware, and it would be a very foolish person indeed who dismisses out of hand the opinions and experiences of seasoned posters, simply because they are not what you want to hear. Hidden agendas are not the exclusive preserve of those who hold negative opinions, and less than positive comments serve as a useful counterfoil to some of the more rose-tinted views of living and working in China. |
To the contrary, there are people who spend hours on message boards simply trolling with negativity. It'd be nice to siphon them out just like I would "positive" propaganda. I believe you knew that's what I meant, but you wanted to play devil's advocate. Regardless, having the ability to block out certain posters whose only point of posting is to rain on threads would be a wonderful tool. It's not about "diversity of opinion," but giving baiters the right to bait and folks who don't want to see it the right to block it out without having to scroll through pages of their vitriol. |
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peepertice
Joined: 23 Nov 2005
Posts: 63
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| Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 7:50 am Post subject: |
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how the **** can Kathmandu be number 3?? anyone else who's been there really surprised by this? ok, so i was there 9 years ago but i find it hard to believe it's become that polluted. sorry to digress
anyway, i think people have been a little shocked by Viks negative bullet points but then i think he more than redeems himself with this:
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I think Xian probably, could be, one of the better cities in China to work - but even in the best cities of China, I beleive, the awesome factor is difficult to come by.
But this doesn't mean you can�t really enjoy yourselves in China (in any location) � after all awesome is a relative term, and one man's awesome may well be the other man�s �the pitts�. So Xian, or any other China location, just come with your eyes open and your expectations set at your own realistic "what is awesome" level Idea |
wise words, imo |
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vikuk
Joined: 23 May 2007
Posts: 1842
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| Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 9:01 am Post subject: |
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| how the **** can Kathmandu be number 3?? anyone else who's been there really surprised by this? ok, so i was there 9 years ago but i find it hard to believe it's become that polluted. |
I also found that hard to believe. But then again I first visited Xian in 1987 - and I also still find the change here, and in the rest of China unbelievable. I'm just glad I got here still during those days when the unforgettable sound of China was the bike bell (the days of the bike rush-hour) |
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DistantRelative
Joined: 19 Oct 2004
Posts: 367
Location: Shaanxi/Xian
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vikuk
Joined: 23 May 2007
Posts: 1842
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| Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 10:58 am Post subject: |
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Shawn thanks for the info - but by the way that second list isn't ordered on a worst/best polluter basis - they've arranged the first to last location on a geographic basis (exactly in the same manner they do with the weather forecast - starting with Beijing first). And it�s just a 24hour report - so I hope you'll be updating us on a daily basis. (today Xian got a Chinese level 2 - not the worse - 3 places get a 3 - but my experience of today's number 2, in my city, tells me that its a level that would be classed back home as incredibly filthy. After all it left my eyes with a slight sting!!!!)
And the first list - well I don't know where its comes from - but it does look like the kind of general international city list for which - the mighty Xian - may not be major enough to be included.
But enough of that - if any posters want to slate me for saying - Chinese cities, including Xian are incredibly filthy with awful air quality - then please be my guest. This is a factor of life, that has affected my enjoyment of Chinese urban life so much, that I've invested in property outside my city of work (in a rural area) - so I can commute into it with my car (yeah I'm one of those Aholes who are creating that muck � but on that trip you actually travel through a smog border � which on some days means I can see the sky/clouds outside the city but in downtown this just becomes a grayish haze).
Obviously this type of living set-up aint an option for the newbie - but it does show how seriously some of us take this pollution problem - and gives you bit more fix on how that term awesome is being banded about!!!!! |
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YankeeDoodleDandy
Joined: 17 Aug 2004
Posts: 428
Location: Xi'an , Shaanxi China
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| Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2007 2:11 pm Post subject: Xi'an |
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| I live in Xi'an ,however I teach most of my classes in Lin Tong. My school provides transportation and I don't mind the 45 minute ride. i can review my lessons, read a book for enjoyment or put ear plugs in my ears to drown out the guy next to me snoring at &:10 in the morning. After two cups of coffee I'm rarin to go. Gao Xin is a relatively new and developed area in the high tech zone in Xi'an. A little pricey. I don't like the air quality here, however I don't find it much different than the air quality in Hefei , where I lived for three and a half years. Distant Relative is right in that there is money to be made. If you are willing to do your homework and hold out for a higher price. I was making 100 RMB for part time work per class nearly five years ago, why should I make the same wages today. Private International Schools in Gao Xin and other areas are racking in the bucks. Why should foreign teachers settle for less. One of the earlier posters is right on, "wath out for the pickpockets near the train stations. To end on a brighter note, the beer at Fat Boys near the Shaanxi Museum is always cold and you might meet two Americans and a Scotsman who love life and this crazycrowded city. Welcome |
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DistantRelative
Joined: 19 Oct 2004
Posts: 367
Location: Shaanxi/Xian
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| Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2007 9:23 am Post subject: |
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hehehe! "Fatboys" Woot!! YDD's, not blowin any smoke here! Bring your frisbee, and your attitude!!
Zhuhao!!
Shawn |
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