Job Discussion Forums

[LevYuri]

Hi everyone. I'm new to the forum and this is my first post. I'm searching for jobs in China and have found a lot of solid opportunities in Xi'an. I was wondering if anyone can give me any insight into the city aside from terracota warriors and ancient city walls. I'm interested in more than food and ancient history. While that fascinates me, I plan to live there for at least a year if things work out and I want to know if it's a good city for a 24 year old. Is there a strong city/cultural/night life there?

I really want to know more...

Any insight is appreciated.

Thanks,
Lev

[cormac]

I spent almost a year there and I plan on going back within the next few months. Overall, its one of my favorite cities in the world. Compared to other cities in China and abroad, I met relatively few con artists or twats. Sure, most people wanted something from me whether that be free lessons, free drinks etc, but they didn't take it too far and usually gave back in some other way. But most of my long lasting Chinese friends that I've managed to keep are from Xi'an..

Club wise, you have the choice of 6-7 clubs in the center of the city, although there are a few "Chinese" clubs elsewhere, but i haven't been to them. Broad selection of music, and the clubs themselves are quite good. Be prepared for the fact that many Xi'an residents are used to foreigners considering the numbers of tourists coming through, but its still good fun. Women are very approachable, although you will be stung a few times by girls just wanting somewhere to crash at night rather than anything more romantic. Plenty of KTV and music bars as well. You'll probably end up in "Bar Street" before hitting the clubs, and its the usual mix of small Chinese bars, but all within short walking distance of the main clubs. Alcohol is relatively cheap if you buy in bulk rather than buying singles at a time.

You're not really interested in food comments, but I will mention that there are a few good Indian places in the city, and the Muslim quarter is rather good, and very hygienic. Other than that, there's food for all tastes considering its central place in China. Food is important to know.

Culturally speaking I can't tell you much. I'm not much of a tourist. Most of the scenic spots I saw by accident while on dates, and even though I've been to Xi'an on four different occasions I've yet to see the Terra warriors.

Note: Avoid Kids Castle like the plague should you be offered a contract. If you're sent a name in Chinese, best to check it out rather than make the mistake by accident.. which I did. I arrived thinking I had signed up for another school, and then saw the name on the entrance. Suprise!

Hope that helps.

[The Edge]

My wife and I went there a couple of years ago just to see 'The Warriors' as they are billed as the '8th Wonder of the World'. The museum site is very well organised as one would expect and certainly worth a visit if you are there. I can understand why some people might not want to go though if they live and work there as they are hyped to death. Full size replica warriors outside the entrances of numerous hotels and restaurants etc. As for the city, my overall opinion was that it would be 'just another city' without the warriors. Huge tourist trade and luxury boutiques such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Versace, Cartier, Zenga etc abound downtown. I certainly got the impression that retailers such as these would not be in Xian if it was not for the warriors. We sampled one nightclub which was rubbish. Obviously, 2 days in a place (one taken up by visiting the warriors) is not enough to give a detailed description but my overall impression was that the city was 'average' at best.

[Gamecock]

I spent 4 days in Xi'an this summer and couldn't wait to get out. The air pollution was miserable, on par with all the other big cities in China, and I found it to easily be the most unfriendly city I've been to in China.

It is a tourist-trap city FULL of con-men and pick-pockets. I had a man come up behind me on the street and put his hand down my FRONT pocket trying to swipe my wallet. I constantly had to barter with taxi drivers who would absolutely refuse to run the meter for a foreigner (It seems the taxis are not regulated like most Chinese cities where they are required by law to run the meter if asked). Overall the locals made the experience miserable in an otherwise very attractive and interesting city.

Perhaps it was just bad timing and a bad experience over a short amount of time, but i have an Aussie coworker who was there for a year and he also told me it was the least friendly place he'd been to in China. I would definitely find more informed opinions if i were you before deciding to move there!

[7969]

personally i love the western part of china, and Xi'an is just about where it all begins. it does seem to be a bit of a rough place but that goes for a lot of the west I think (at least everywhere I've been out there). the advantages are nice scenery, plenty of history, and for anyone with an interest in history, silk road etc, xi'an would be a great place.

[cormac]

hmm... interesting.

[thessy]

Like anywhere in China your results may vary. Xi'an is a big-ish city, so you can find most things here. How easily you can find them depends on where you are. Xi'an is a rapidly expanding city, expanding into what was until in some cases yesterday, farmland. Some areas are very modern while some very rural.

Pollution is on par with most big Chinese cities. It has a reputation for pickpockets but I've not found that to be a problem. I haven't encountered a single issue with that in multiple years here, yet had a former co-worker who had three phones stolen over the course of a month. If you use the same common sense you should be using back back, there should never be a problem.

If you have any questions about specific schools here shoot me a PM and I'll try to help out.

[LevYuri]

Thank you all for your insightful responses. Although everyone picked up different vibes from the city, what I can gather from all of the feedback is that it's probably a great city for me. I do want a real city, something Urban with a mix of modern and historic. Great to know that bars are plenty and I hear it's a University city as well.

Pickpocketers and con-men are no problem for me, neither are tough taxi-drivers. I'm from Russia originally and have lived in Urban areas in the Middle East as well. I feel comfortable in dealing with these sorts of people. What I've learned from my experiences is that no one is going to give up business, so if you flat out refuse to do something because of some bogus rule they set, they'll ignore that policy. "OH? You're not gonna turn on the meter? Goodbye, then." Or maybe I just have no idea, yet.

Thank you all for the great responses.

[MisterButtkins]

I thought the people were quite friendly. Didn't take any taxis, as I was staying inside the city walls and could walk or take the bus pretty easily. The food is also very good and there seemed to be reasonable nightlife. I was there for about eight days. Plenty to do there. I also like how a lot of the older stuff is centrally located and close together, unlike in say Beijing where a lot of the different tourist sites are flung all over the city. The air quality is really bad though.

[MisterButtkins]

I thought the people were quite friendly. Didn't take any taxis, as I was staying inside the city walls and could walk or take the bus pretty easily. The food is also very good and there seemed to be reasonable nightlife. I was there for about eight days. Plenty to do there. I also like how a lot of the older stuff is centrally located and close together, unlike in say Beijing where a lot of the different tourist sites are flung all over the city. The air quality is really bad though.

[LevYuri]

I was offered a job in Xian, two jobs actually. How is 6000rmb a month + 1000rmb accommodation bonus for Xian? Does anyone have any experience with apartment shopping there who can give me some insight on prices?

Thanks,
Lev

[kjk_esl]

I spent time in Xi'an and myself and everyone I met there had their school supply them with an apartment. From my experience, get your school to supply you an apartment as Xi'an landlords are full of tricks to get more money out of you. Apartments there were from so so apartments to great ones.

[thessy]

[themanymoonsofjupiter]

[mgafunnell]

i thought the place was nice. a truly beautiful joint. go for it. keep away from EF.