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chrisandcarla · Joined: 09 Aug 2011 Posts: 17

Hi there,
I'm thinking of maybe teaching in China (I'm currently in Vietnam), and the Chengdu and Kunming stand out to me as interesting cities to live in with nice mountains near by. Has anyone lived there? What is it like? How expensive is it? Are there places to hike or rock climb anywhere near by? Is the housing decent? What are the perks of living there?

xjgirl · Joined: 02 Feb 2010 Posts: 242

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Banner41 · Joined: 04 Jan 2011 Posts: 656 Location: Shanghai

I live in Chengdu. I love this city. There are all sorts of things to do here. Lots of mountain/hiking gear stores and a Decathlon (French Outdoor store) for the rest. Mountains not too far away and weather doesn't get too terribly cold. A pretty laid back atmosphere. Great food and a pretty large ex-pat community if you get get tired of the "Chinese" thing. Hope that helps.

ruindasia1 · Joined: 03 Oct 2011 Posts: 32 Location: shenzhen, china

i have traveled to chengdu, and i agree with banner, the food is great in chengdu..haha well that is if u like spicy food...and if you do then there is no better place to get that ma la(numbing hot) flavor then in chengdu or well hahah anywhere in sichuan for that matter....

Banner41 · Joined: 04 Jan 2011 Posts: 656 Location: Shanghai

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

The lifestyle in Chengdu is very laid back compared to other big cities. The people there also seem to enjoy life more and the food is excellent. I'm off to Chengdu soon myself.

Sudz · Joined: 09 Aug 2004 Posts: 438

Chengdu was great. I would personally put that city at the top of my list for teaching - for the reasons others have stated. After living in Ho Chi Minh for all these years (the most populated city in the country), I wouldn't mind a 'B level city'.

I really enjoyed that spicy hotpot as well. You could put donkey genitals in there are it would come out tasting good (I think!)

The girls in Chengdu have a reputation for being exceptionally beautiful as well. I personally didn't see much of a difference myself compared to the other cities though. (Just thought I'd throw that in, even though it doesn't relate to the OP).

chrisandcarla · Joined: 09 Aug 2011 Posts: 17

Thanks for all the great replies. We're seriously thinking of trying out Chengdu, as it seems to suit our taste (mountains nearby, but still a large city). I personally have a hard time with spicy food, so I guess I can plan on losing weight? Wink

Or cooking our own food. What's the traffic like there? We're in Hanoi right now and the motorbikes are driving me nuts. Especially since they all park on the sidewalk, forcing us to walk on the road, constantly dodging the never ending stream of bikes... Also, how cold does it get in the winter? We are missing seasons in Vietnam (why isn't it fall yet?)