Job Discussion Forums

[weshh]

Hey,

So I am considering applying to Disney English in China. My major drawback to working in China is the pollution, gutter oil haha, and basically health hazards of the country.

I enjoy a relatively healthy lifestyle and eating habit.

My question is: If I have the option of working in any of these cities listed, which one is the "healthiest"? Perhaps one of these is a little known mountain town with a longstanding tradition of organic farming? (Maybe just a pipe dream).

Beijing
Shanghai
Shenzhen
Nanjing
Ningbo
Suzhou
Tianjin
Hangzhou
Guangzhou
Chengdu
Chongqing
Foshan
Dongguan
Wuhan



Any of these cities more natural minded and health conscious?

[muffintop]

Are you serious?

[weshh]

[teenoso]

All of these are mega-cities , with the possible exception of Ningbo, and are all likely to be polluted and unhealthy .... welcome to China.

Stick to coastal cities and the south for marginally better conditions - just my opinion . Inland, you could try smaller towns in south western provinces like Guangxi, Yunnan etc , but there may not be the opportunities there you are looking for . Or consider Hainan island.

[vikeologist]

As far as pollution is concerned, the air quality indexes (AQI) and scientific data will tell you far more than anecdotes and opinions. It is very bad.

There are maybe some pockets. If you look here

http://aqicn.org/map/

you can look at what the maximum for (I think) the last year was. You have to look at the historical data though. At the moment China is slightly less polluted than usual because of the CNY holiday.


There are big problems with food quality in China. There are health conscious people in China for sure. health conscious cities; no.

[theoriginalprankster]

Xiamen. Period.

But it is getting worse.

[weshh]

Hmm, thanks for all the suggestions and data link. I will check them all out.
So, pretty much all the cities Disney China has grabbed hold of are mega-cities and polluted. Good to know. Not to write off these areas, i know they all have their own rich and unique culture, but I am interested in the topic of this thread. Health minded cities.

Without starting a new thread, where is the most health conscious city in Asia that you are aware of?

[zactherat]

I have yet to see an Asian country that has managed to gentrify her smaller cities - perhaps Japan is an exception.

The only two smaller places that aren't hellish in China are Dali and Yangshuo - only if you are willing to work for pocket money though.

Organic farming.. yet to catch on. You can buy stuff labelled as organic, but I don't think that any industry standards are in place.

[weshh1]

Thanks zac, seeing as health is high interest in my assessment of quality of life and whether I want tolive somewhere... I dont think china would be my ideal choice.

[Non Sequitur]

[Spyro]

[weshh]

Thanks for the response spyro!

I have visited Singapore twice, it is very "clean" and a nice city. I would imagine japan would have an abundance of pro health options, one of the islands has the top longevity rate. Dont remember which one. However, leftover exposure to food and surrounding area from radiation would be something to take into consideration. I dont know how much of an impact it would have.

I hear S. Korea consumes the most vegetables. Not sure if that is accurate but a good thing to take into account for health assessment of an area.

Thailand would probably be my ideal place to live, I know bangkok is pretty polluted but im sure there are places that are very liveable with fresh food. Havent visited yet.


As far as Disney China is concerned, I have a good "in" through family connections. But there are just so many bad reviews and china doesnt seem ideal so I think I'll stick to just visiting china one day and planning to live in another country.

[Shroob]

[Non Sequitur]

For pretty obvious reasons, Disney targets high population areas.
So selecting 'Disney' as a place to work, auto deselects 'good environment'.

[weshh]

I agree shroob. It just goes in conjuncture with a good diet assuming the quality is good. From what ive read about toxic farmlands ...not a good sign for china. Alot of rice/noodle and oil (most likely not OO) is not a plus.