Job Discussion Forums

ScreamingCube · Joined: 18 Jun 2008 Posts: 14

Alright, that title might be a bit overly sensationalist. Anyways, I've been looking to head to China to teach for a while now. I've been there twice and seen a bunch of the place- Shanghai, Xi'an, Chengdu, Nanjing, Hangzhou, and a few more.

I've arbitrarily decided that Zhengzhou and Wuhan both seem like alright spots- heard a few people rave about both of them, they're away from the frigid North and the cantonese-speaking South (I've got a spot of mandarin under my belt), and somewhat centrally located making travel a possibility.

So with that all said, does anyone have any arguments for or against either of them, and/or any specific schools to recommend? That isn't to say that these two are the only possibilities, either, really any compelling statements for anywhere would be appreciated Very Happy

Thanks.

GeminiTiger · Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 11:51 pm Post subject:

Arbitrarily indeed.

Wuhan is one of the three furnaces of China, famous for hot, dusty air that crawls down your throat like 4 day old cigarette smoke. I lived here for a year and that city has squat for traditional culture, I saw one tower and one monastery. (That confiscated my incense as I came into the courtyard). The nightlife is pathetic, the foreign bars are pathetic. The city is quite big and travel time on buses can be 2 hours, or easily 50 rmb in a taxi. Wuhan was always offering jobs paying around 4000 rmb, I'm not sure why anyone would go there.

I've never been to Zhengzhou, but I know how to use google.. The

Fact: Zhengzhou is inland from Beijing, it will in fact be rather cold in winter. Fact: Zhengzhou is famous for it's "open-pit coal mine" that suggests to me along its industrial base you can expect a lot of pollution. Face: Zhengzhou has been one of the major industrial cities in China since 1949.

Here is a nice picture of the gray "I want to die sky" in ZZ,
http://www.answers.com/topic/zhengzhou?cat=travel

I would not work in either of these cities.

ScreamingCube · Joined: 18 Jun 2008 Posts: 14

Hahahah, wow. Alright, well those are definitely somewhat damning of those cities. Anywhere you'd care to recommend, any cities you've had great experiences in?

arioch36 · Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 3589

Zhengzhou is definitely not very cold in the winter, unless you are comparing it to Shanghai. I would not consider it very cold in the winter.
How many winters have you spent here? Definitely warmer then Xian.

GeminiTiger · Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2008 8:46 am Post subject:

I've never been to Zhengzhou as I stated earlier I just did a google search.

�The meeting announced the main problems in many coal mines in Zhengzhou City" http://english.gongyi.gov.cn/content.asp?id=858&id_type=7

Zhengzhou

Zhengzhou or Chengchow (both: jŭng-jō) [key], city (1994 est. pop. 1,323,700), capital of Henan prov., E central China. An important railroad center, the city is at the junction of the Longhai (east-west) and the Beijing-Guangzhou (north-south) railroads. The textile center of Henan prov., and a flourishing industrial city, Zhengzhou has grown about sevenfold since 1949. In addition to textiles, manufactures include tractors, locomotives, cigarettes, fertilizer, processed meats, agricultural machinery, and electrical equipment. An open-pit coal mine is nearby. Near the city are important archaeological sites, which indicate that Zhengzhou was the Shang capital of Ao. An agricultural institute and a medical college are in the city. Zhengzhou was formerly called Zhengxian; the name sometimes appears as Cheng-chou.

http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/world/A0853395.html

As far as your other complaint about me saying it's cold. Every travel guide describes it as "cold in winter". I didn't say it was like Mongolia, I just said rather cold, as some sites describe yearly snow, that for China can be considered "rather cold".

arioch36 · Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 3589

Not complaining about you saying it's cold in Zhengzhou, just disagreeing. Short winter, very little snow

Never seen Zhengzhou called anything but Zhengzhou

First came here seven years ago, still haven't seen a coal mine. That's like saying Xian has coal mines. Wheat farms yes, a couple of very very small ones in the city. coal mines no (Henan is not the biggest producer of coal, but is the biggest producer of Wheat

Now the county of Zhengzhou, as the capital city of Henan, the County that Zhengzhou City controls is huge. And I do believe it is called Zhengzhou "county", though that is a translation

Moon Over Parma · Joined: 20 May 2007 Posts: 819

Weigh where the actual university is located. If one is in a city proper then you can mange to enjoy your life. Many, many universities are in "university towns," which are culturally vacuous, isolated villages with absolutely nothing going on. Buses may cut off around 7pm and you'll quickly piss away your salary on 30+RMB cab rides back into your university supplied housing because you had to rush out to catch the last bus into town to do life stuff like buy groceries, get some DVDs, maybe even attempt to make friends and socialize. Hot summers can be endured by air conditioning and a good life outside of work. Boredom and isolation in a temperate climate is omnipresent and inescapable. Consider your options wisely. Me: I'd take Wuhan between the two.

Girl Scout · Joined: 13 Jan 2005 Posts: 525 Location: Inbetween worlds

I live in Zhengzhou. Actually, I live in one of those "university towns". If I didn't live here, I would never in a million years visit. I prefer my empty vacuous town to the wasteland they call the city.

As a last resort, ZhengZhou is livable for a few years. But I would keep looking if you had other options.

It is too cold here. The wind blows endlessly and cuts through whatever layers of clothing you have on. If it wasn't for the wind, winter here would be nothing much to speak about.

7969 · Joined: 26 Mar 2003 Posts: 5782 Location: Coastal Guangdong

i spent ten months in zhengzhou in 2005-06. the best part about living there is leaving once your contract is up.

there was an upside, they had a nice swimming pool complex i havent found in any other place i've stayed, a semi-decent hot tub right beside, and its close to some interesting places in china (beijing, xian et al).

as for the winter, it all depends on where you come from. if you're from a cold country, the winter is nothing... the year i was there it only snowed once, and it all melted within a day or two and then turned to ice once it froze again. it can get windy but if you have good clothing (decent down filled jacket, gloves and a hat) its no problem. but if you want blue skies and sun, then head somewhere else.

i'm in no rush to go back...

vikuk · Joined: 23 May 2007 Posts: 1842

7969 · Joined: 26 Mar 2003 Posts: 5782 Location: Coastal Guangdong

arioch36 · Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 3589

Tarheel 13 · Joined: 02 May 2007 Posts: 44 Location: Outer Banks, NC

I got back the last of January from Wuhan and I enjoyed the city immensely. There's a modern downtown in Hankou, although I did live across the river in Wuchang. The summers are stifling and the winters are damp and cold, but I had a great time with several Aussies. The beer was cheap and good, and the food was absolutely wonderful. The best dry spicy noodles you will ever eat will come from Wuhan. If it's an experience you want, and anywhere above 5,000RMB a month will get you all you need to drink, eat, party and tour around.

Girl Scout · Joined: 13 Jan 2005 Posts: 525 Location: Inbetween worlds

Yes I am talking about the weather outside. Although, vikuk is right. This area also has an indoor cold problem. All doors to all buildings are locked, except the one that are propped open. Students are constantly opening windows for "fresh air", as if the air in this area was fresh.

I come from a rather cold winter season, but I do not have the wind. That is the only part of winter here I do not like. (Actually, I wish it would snow more.)

Pelican_Wrath · Joined: 19 May 2008 Posts: 490

Your Mandarin might not be that much use in Wuhan. They speak a dialect which is rather like a Chinese version of Glaswegian.

This awful dialect was very nearly chosen as the 'official' standard dialect of China. Thank heavens it wasn't!

I've never been to Zhengzhou, but Wuhan has, in its favour, some excellent street food, really good hot pot, decent Chinese food generally, and a certain 'buzz' about it.

Against it, it has skies which are grey on about 90% of days, weather which is grey and depressing in winter and grey and stiflingly hot in summer, pollution you've never seen the like of (and I've been to Calcutta, Bombay and Bangkok!) and a real absence of nature/parks etc.