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I cant decide between working in Taiyuan or Jiaozuo city.

 
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zartic



Joined: 21 Jun 2009
Posts: 10

PostPosted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 8:16 pm    Post subject: I cant decide between working in Taiyuan or Jiaozuo city. Reply with quote

This is my first time traveling in Asia, I am having a hard time figuring out which city will provide the easiest transition for a North American. Any advice from those that have been in these two cities?
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danielb



Joined: 08 Aug 2003
Posts: 490

PostPosted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 8:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm not a teacher but I live part time in Jiaozuo. I generally like the place. Where's the job? If you let me know specific questions I'll try to answer.

I've been to Taiyuan a few times and didn't like it. It seemed comparatively crowded and dirty. I haven't spent much time there though.
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zartic



Joined: 21 Jun 2009
Posts: 10

PostPosted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 8:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'll be working in Henan University in Jiaozuo while in Taiyuan I could potentially be working for Shanxi Foreign Language School.
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cblack76



Joined: 03 Jul 2009
Posts: 26

PostPosted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 11:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

There was a research paper written by some military general back in the 90s who summarized that Asia is one of the most difficult places for North Americans to get used to.

I don't know much about either of those cities, but they're both probably very similar in terms of what you're going to deal with in regards to culture shock.
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Hansen



Joined: 13 Oct 2008
Posts: 737
Location: central China

PostPosted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 2:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I visied Jiaozuo recently. It's quite close to Yuantaishan.The part of Jiaozuo I saw was quite nice, much nicer than Zhengzhou, for instance.

Others have told me Jiaozuo has some serious pollution issues, but none were evident from the angle we approached the place.
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danielb



Joined: 08 Aug 2003
Posts: 490

PostPosted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 2:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

There are some serious pollution issues here but I would suspect no worse than Taiyuan. Yuntaishan is okay if you are into mountains and rivers (there are heaps of others that can be done in a day) but I grew up in Mission Beach, FNQ, so they don't impress me much.

I guess it is Henan Polytechnic? A very large, modern and safe campus which is close (5 min) to the downtown by bus or taxi. The company I work for actually rents a number of new apartments on campus for our managers and engineers. I live in one of them. That's because there are few new housing developments on the same side of the city as our factories. I don't know how this works but I am glad I'm here. The residential compounds (at least the ones I know) are a fair distance from the basketball courts and such. I have no noise issues at home. You would need to check out where you'd be living though.

I have no idea of the work at Henan Poly. We have a close relationship with their various scientific departments and as such use some of their R&D facilities and quality control equipment. Even coming from Australia (Australia is a world leader in mining) I am often impressed by their level of technology. We employ a lot of their engineering graduates each year at work. Their English is basically non-existent but are great kids.

I have heard that they have (or had) foreign teachers here that have been here for a while. There is no expat scene that I know of. The only expat I know is another Australian who, like me, works in the mining industry.

If you have specific questions about the city and surrounds let me know.

Dan
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danielb



Joined: 08 Aug 2003
Posts: 490

PostPosted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 2:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sorry, a couple of things I should have mentioned that make be of consideration.

Jiaozuo is by far the cheapest place I have been in China. That's as long as you don't get ripped off. Your students could help you with this. People in Henan have a really bad reputation for dishonesty. From my travels to Zhengzhou, I can see why. However, from my experience in Jiaozuo, and from what I have been told by business people, the situation on the ground is that they know about the reputation and are trying to prove everyone wrong.

The other day I saw a taxi driver attempt to bribe a police officer after a minor traffic violation. The bribe was rejected and the driver arrested for the bribery attempt. That was the first time I had sen anything like that in China.

A bus or Taxi to Xinxiang and then D Train will get you to Beijing in about 5 hours total. This is often quicker than traveling to Zhengzhou for the plane.
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jibbs



Joined: 02 Feb 2003
Posts: 452

PostPosted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 2:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I haven't been to Jiaozuo or Henan Province. Hadn't even heard of that city before. So, I know nothing about that city other than what I might find online.

I have been in Taiyuan for four months. It's not a big city for China or for a provincial capital, if that even makes any sense. There are somewhere between 2 and 3 million people here. It's hectic enough, noisy and lots of traffic slowing down the rides between home and work. It's not a particularly attractive place by any means. There isn't much western stuff here, and very few foreigners. It's just very Chinese, so it's a bit of a hassle for me without much language skill. The stores are not bad. I don't do much here really; work and stay home most of the time. There's a "foreigners in Taiyuan" group on facebook, which I hear has been blocked for some reason.

I think a poster above is on the mark. A lot of Asia can be hard to adjust to for us foreigners.

There's a thread about Taiyuan in the off-topic forum:

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=69455
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Hansen



Joined: 13 Oct 2008
Posts: 737
Location: central China

PostPosted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 4:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

"The bribe was rejected and the driver arrested for the bribery attempt. "

It might have looked that way. It may have been simply a matter of taking the briber to a better location and throwing a scare into him to increase the amount.
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danielb



Joined: 08 Aug 2003
Posts: 490

PostPosted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 7:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hansen, I never noticed another foreigner there at the time. Are you Chinese? Did I make one of your numbered noobie blunders?
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Hansen



Joined: 13 Oct 2008
Posts: 737
Location: central China

PostPosted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 11:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

danielb, Not sure what you are getting at. Unless you saw the guy delivered to and booked into the jail, do you you really know what happened after they were out of your sight?
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danielb



Joined: 08 Aug 2003
Posts: 490

PostPosted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 12:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My point is that you always know more than anyone else; about everything.
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danielb



Joined: 08 Aug 2003
Posts: 490

PostPosted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 12:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sorry everyone for posting twice in a row.

Hansen, you wrote:
Quote:
It might have looked that way.


In response to me writing:
Quote:
The bribe was rejected and the driver arrested for the bribery attempt.


The traffic officer placed the money on the top of the taxi, called detectives on his radio and after about 20 minutes of everyone having to stay there waiting (I got roped into it because my missus was in the car and the police pulled up the car where I was waiting for her) detectives arrived and took the driver into custody. They also took the details of everyone who witnessed any of it. But, of course, you would have a much better idea of what happened than I because you are such a seasoned veteran and hold complete knowledge of all events in China. As I said, I most likely committed one of your numbered "noobie blunders". Please forgive me.

From what I witnessed, in my opinion (the opinion of an ex-police officer) regardless of what happened after, the bribe was rejected and the driver was arrested for the bribery attempt.
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