Job Discussion Forums

[lou_c]

We have pretty good job offers in Ya'an but I'm having trouble getting any information about the place. All Google turns up is technical papers by professors at Sichuan Agricultural University and things like that. Has anybody been there? What's it like? Are there any expatriots living there? Is the university a reasonable place to work? If you know anything about Ya'an please pay no attention to the inevitable flames and rude remarks and post it anyway. Any info will be appreciated. Adthanksvance.

[vikdk]

I'm driving there tomorrow - infact through it and into the tibetan prefectures on the other side of Kanding. I've done this trip a number of times and have thus got to know Yaan having stayed there now 3 times - it's a place that is supposedly famous for pretty girls and rain - a rural centre that is being quite extensively modernised - in an area that is well connected by expressway to Chengdu (3/4 hours) and Kanding(about 3/4 hours aswell if I can remember rightly - also a good road) - there is the famous river that flows through it and close by there are some nice places and not so far away should be the start of tea-horse trails that can make for some pretty interesting hiking - there is Zoo which has a panda (pier David "discovered" the panda close by) but I've avoided it since there was once a guy in a cage there going for the world-record in fasting!!!!
As for practical info - well I'm a bit sparse on that - never seen another Lowai there, and although there's a "modern" shopping area don't expect too much in the way western food or stuff like that - or a bustling night life with a large ex-pat community!!!
To tell the truth Yaan is the kind of place I like to get through very quickly, but then again it could be a nice place to live if the set up was right and you had some transport to look around the area (one of those places where so much is nearby but getting there is best done with your own wheels). But if you are the social type and are looking for a lot FT company and a modicum of civilisation - well I think you'll be a wee bit dissapointed - but then again someone actualy living there could proove me prefectly wrong!!!!
By the way forgot to add - by the amount of staring you get there I'm pretty certain not too many lowai - but then again head towards Tibet for another 5 hours and it's you doing the staring - pure paradise country!!!

[chengdude]

I think it would help if the OP posted more of what they expect from their work and living environments. Anecdotal evidence I've read appears very positive about SAU and I think vikdk sums up Ya'an pretty well. It's a bustling, smaller city with an interesting vibe, but if you're looking for any Western conveniences, you'd better look elsewhere. And yes, Ya'an is famous for rain & humidity.

[captgaribaldi]

From my China ESL experience I have learned what makes a good or bad situation is the head of Foreign Affairs. Ya an Middle School has one of the worse. Mr Shu will either ignore your request for help or be very difficult. My flat was like a pig sty with every appliance broken. Told not to use the heater as its noise upset the neighbors. Also, Enfly is the bottom of the barrel and should be avoided at all costs.

[drjtrekker]

OP,

Lived and taught there 2 years. Still know the long time laowai that lives there with his family and another long time laowai now in CD.

PM me with ur questions and I'll get back to ya.

[Markness]

Rule of thumb is that if you can't find the city info on Google or Wikipedia that you're likely to end up in a developing city which may have charm to a hardcore traveler or send you to culture shock hell. I'm I'm chengdu right now and the Sichuan dialect sounds like a toilet flushing in your ear.. Very unpleasant for people who have learned standard Mandarin. If you're a gambling man then go ahead, if you want to be safe then look up the top cities in China and go from there. I personally would never be able to live in a city smaller than a tier 2 one.. The backwards-ness losses its charm fast. Don't get me wrong, I love China, but I hate for a foreign brother to get caught up in a crappy situation for a year and pull a runner.