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Where in China

Where in China? Article by Steve Molteno

Unless you’re from Canada or America, the sheer size of China will take some getting used to. And no matter where you’re from, the number of people will blow your mind. I remember my first vacation in China: I decided to take a trip to see some of the area surrounding Shanghai. I was astounded to discover 3 other monster cities nearby (Hangzhou, Suzhou and Ningbo) each with between 6 and 10 million residents, and all boasting futuristic skylines. Sitting on the bus and poring over the map of China, I realized I’d covered an area that could be hidden under a small coin. My eye began to wander to those far-flung western and northern provinces (Yunnan, Xinjiang, Tibet, Inner Mongolia) and I suddenly realized I was not just living in a new country, but in a new world, one that I would be spending the rest of my life exploring.

The sheer size of China can make it all the more difficult for teachers to choose a location. It’s not possible for me to recommend a city or even a province, since where you should live is about as personal a choice as who you should love. But when making your decision, you can take the following into consideration:

Weather

Northern China has severe winters with temperatures reaching well below 0 degrees Centigrade. Central and Eastern China are milder, although they suffer sweltering summers. Southern China is sub-tropical and thus hot for pretty much the whole year.

In a nutshell: if you can’t stand the cold, don’t choose the north. If you don’t adapt well to heat and humidity, don’t choose the south. But don’t be fooled into thinking that the centre or east are what Goldilocks was looking for, because the whole Yangtze Basin cooks in the summer. Luckily no matter where you choose to live, you’ll be surprised to find that in China you’ll spend most of your life in an air conditioned environment, whether at home, at school or at the shops.

Economics

Eastern China and Southern China are the areas that have developed fastest, and are thus much richer than the north or the west. This may affect you in the following ways: the north and west tend to be a bit cheaper, especially when it comes to accommodation. The south and the east have more foreign expats than the north and west, where you might find yourself being gawked at in the street more.

Population Density

The further east you go, the higher the population density. In Lhasa it’s easy to enjoy people-watching and making friends. In Shanghai you’ll find the only solitude you’ll ever get is sitting on the toilet.

Geography

China descends step by step from the west to the east. The west is characterized by high mountains, the highest being Mount Everest, whereas the east (especially around the Yangtze River) tends for be flat. If you like hiking or rock-climbing, you’d want to look for a job in the west, the exception being the mountainous eastern provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang. If you like the ocean, don’t choose a coastal city anywhere near the Yangtze River. The silt carried downstream by the Yangtze means muddy beaches for a few hundred kilometers both north and south of the river’s mouth.

Air Pollution

Although the ever increasing number of cars on the road is having a negative impact on air pollution, they are not the primary cause of the problem. The culprit is the thousands of power stations burning coal. These used to be located in all the major cities, but now they’ve been moved away from urban areas.The bonus is that air quality in cities isn’t as bad as it might otherwise have been. The problem is that most Chinese don’t realize the extent of the air pollution across their country (out of sight, out of mind).? Next time you’re flying over China take a look at the layer of smog covering the land. What always amazes me isn’t so much the density of the smog but the fact that it extends across the entire country. The surprising result is that no matter whether you’re in a small town or stuck in the rat race you’ll be more or less equally exposed to air pollution. If you suffer from asthma or allergies I’d recommend you look for a position in the mountainous west, or perhaps on Hainan Island.

Big City/Small City

Most people considering coming to teach in China prefer famous cities such as Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen. I think their reasoning is based simply on the fact that they’ve heard the names before, which somehow makes the destination seem less alien. The fact is that China has at least 30 Super Cities, meaning cities that are enormous, very modern, have every manner of Western cuisine, and an expat community that has its preferred drinking holes. To name but a few: Guangzhou, Zhuhai, Xiamen, Wenzhou, Ningbo, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Nanjing, Wuhan, Chongqing, Chengdu, Nanning, Guiyang, Kunming, Qingdao, Shijiazhuang, Tianjin, Dalian, Harbin, and Xian. Many of those cities are unknown to most Westerners, probably because China has so many major cities (their strange-sounding names don’t help either).

If the cities mentioned above (each of which has a population well over 5 million) are not commonly known in the West, then the other 100 or so cities with populations in the hundreds of thousands have little hope of being internationally known. Yet you can be sure that each of these cities has its share of McDonalds and Kentuckies, as well as other foreigner English teachers to hang out with.

So when choosing a city to teach in you shouldn’t narrow your options to famous locations only. Instead, you should take other factors into account, such as the natural environment, the climate, and local sightseeing/traveling options. After 4 years in Shanghai what I really miss is having a mountain or beach nearby when I need to de-stress. So if you’re coming to China to party, pick a city where you know there’s a good nightlife. But if you’re after a more tranquil and genuine Chinese experience then go for a city with a population under a million, and preferably near mountains or the sea. You’ll most likely make better friends (both Chinese and Western) and pick up more Chinese than the Big City cats.