Post: #1

I'm considering ESL job offers in both of these cities. All things considered, which is the better city?

I've been to Qingdao before and while it's beautiful, the job offer I have in Chengdu is less hours which is a big plus for me.

Is there anyone with experience in both cities that can offer some insight?

Post: #2

(05-09-2017 04:02 AM)Villain Wrote:  I'm considering ESL job offers in both of these cities. All things considered, which is the better city?

I've been to Qingdao before and while it's beautiful, the job offer I have in Chengdu is less hours which is a big plus for me.

Is there anyone with experience in both cities that can offer some insight?

If you want to learn Mandarin, the accent is a lot more standard in Qingdao.

Girls wise, Shandong girls tend to be taller and paler, but Sichuan girls tend to be bustier.

Both cities are very polluted, but at least you can see the sea in Qingdao.

Both cities are pretty safe, though since Qingdao is within missile and minisub range of North Korea, there is at least a remote chance of disaster.

Post: #3

Never been to Qingdao, Chengdu is great fun. The pollution is indeed getting worse and worse. With the city located in a basin, summer is basically a sticky, sweaty and smoggy mess with temperatures around 30 °C, but skies are still grey with very little sunshine.

Post: #4

^^ Thanks for that info guys I was under the impression Chengdu was supposed to be a cleaner city overall than most major ones.

http://aqicn.org/map/china/

This map makes all the major places RVF guys go to look almost all equally as bad (HK, GZ, Shenzen, Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Chonqing).

Post: #5

been to both cities. chengdu is overrated.

i'd probably go with qingdao. northern chinese chicks tend to be f'ing hot than most other provinces and the city is nice. the buildings are modeled after german architecture from the old german colonizers (hence why the beer is good), and the ocean and beach views are quite nice. also less foreigners than chengdu, so you'll prolly be more of a novelty and curiosity with the girls if you're white and decent looking.

Post: #6

I've never been to Chengdu, but the women were exceptional in Qingdao when I visited. I didn't game there as I was visiting an old friend for just a weekend, but compared to Beijing, the women were far more attractive.

Also, Qingdao has mountains and beaches. The beaches are full of people, which makes the experience less pleasant, but the mountains are lovely and you can enjoy some solitude if you go hiking/climbing. Not like your typical Chinese "mountain" where there is a trail with dozens of tourists.

You've also got the German architecture, but I think it's over-rated as a beer city, as I could only find one mediocre Chinese owned microbrewery. Besides the beer museum, there isn't much going on.

Post: #7

(05-09-2017 07:08 AM)Travesty Wrote:  ^^ Thanks for that info guys I was under the impression Chengdu was supposed to be a cleaner city overall than most major ones.

http://aqicn.org/map/china/

This map makes all the major places RVF guys go to look almost all equally as bad (HK, GZ, Shenzen, Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Chonqing).

That map is kinda suspect, in my opinion at least. SZ and GZ air (at least to me is better than other areas I have been to recently, including some areas that are kinda countryside.

In fact, I commonly took my kids out of Hunan at least twice and went to GZ or SZ with them so that their allergies and colds would clear up.

China is so damn big, being in the wrong part of a city can even change your air experience. For example I went to Humen Dongguan, coughed for days and got sick. The river there is nasty and contributes a bad smell in the area. Fucked up my throat and my wife's throat. Went to the central part of Dongguan, we instantly noticed a difference and got much better. Humen has factories but the central area does not have that, nor a stinky river. The drive time between the two areas is about 45 mins apart in a cab.

Also their reading for Hong Kong is strange too. I thought the air there was better than most parts of the mainland. Everyone smokes there, but aside from that, I thought it was fine.

Honestly, you cannot go too wrong air wise in the South. Compared to the North or Chengdu, it's no contest.

EDIT: Nevermind me. That map is legit. Those numbers are accurate. That said, I don't see any danger colors in the South like you do in the north or bad areas of China. Their numbers are far below those.

Post: #8

(05-09-2017 01:04 PM)TravelerKai Wrote:  

(05-09-2017 07:08 AM)Travesty Wrote:  ^^ Thanks for that info guys I was under the impression Chengdu was supposed to be a cleaner city overall than most major ones.

http://aqicn.org/map/china/

This map makes all the major places RVF guys go to look almost all equally as bad (HK, GZ, Shenzen, Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Chonqing).

That map is kinda suspect, in my opinion at least. SZ and GZ air (at least to me is better than other areas I have been to recently, including some areas that are kinda countryside.

In fact, I commonly took my kids out of Hunan at least twice and went to GZ or SZ with them so that their allergies and colds would clear up.

The map is real time, which means that you only get current numbers.

If the Hong Kong area happens to be having a bad day, you'll see it on in the red on this map, even if that isn't the norm.

That said, I'm looking at it now and it does seem to reflect normal reality.

Post: #9

I never even knew Qingdao existed.

Suits & TK: Chengdu was high on my list because I read it had the mountains, greenery, laid back, and I read the women have very pleasant attitudes. So it was high.

That said, I never heard of Qingdao until now and after searching the forum this is the only thread with it in the title.... after looking at the pictures it looks pretty damn nice. Suits says they're hot.

LTR material though?

Post: #10

I've asked some Chinese friends and here is a summary of what they said.

Chengdu:

• Lots of pretty girls
• A simpler, more pleasant lifestyle.
  

Qingdao:

• Better environment
• **Much** better air (One girl said her throat got really bad in Chengdu after just a few months)
• Beautiful beach and harbour
• Girls are better for LTRs
  

One girl said in English, "come to [her city] and find me"

(05-09-2017 07:08 AM)Travesty Wrote:  http://aqicn.org/map/china/

This map makes all the major places RVF guys go to look almost all equally as bad (HK, GZ, Shenzen, Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Chonqing).

And that's in spring, it'll be far worse in Winter with all the coal burning.

Post: #11

I never recommend winter in China, unless you are staying in the South, like only Guangzhou and further down. It's just so cold for starters, the girls are covered up, no girls on summer vacation or done with college/university, and Chinese New Year is extremely disruptive for game/travel for pretty much the entire month of February.

If you live and work in China, it's different but still about the same in terms of inconvenience. I honestly do not know how Suits handles Beijing in the winter, but he is a Canadian, not a Texan like me....

Post: #12

I have a particular weakness for winter in Chengdu though the experience is likely transferable to a lot of cities north of Guangdong. It's smoggy and cold (but not unbearably so), your lungs inhale a mixture of cold dry air, roadside pollution, barbecue smells and cigarette smoke. At night the skyscrapers ominously light up the fog like in some Soviet version of Blade Runner. The spicy food becomes extra pleasant. People still huddle together outdoors around places like Jiuyanqiao to drink and have fun. It also makes for a great excuse to move up really close to girls or to bring them somewhere warmer (like, say, your apartment). I absolutely love it, in limited doses obviously - I'd probably get depressed if living under those conditions long-term but as a short-term escape from the subtropical parts of the continent I cherish it every year.

Post: #13

(05-09-2017 04:02 AM)Villain Wrote:  I'm considering ESL job offers in both of these cities. All things considered, which is the better city?

I've been to Qingdao before and while it's beautiful, the job offer I have in Chengdu is less hours which is a big plus for me.

Is there anyone with experience in both cities that can offer some insight?

Chengdu is my dream city to go too in China, and if you get less hours then I'd take that in a heart beat!

Post: #14

The weather is grey and hazy for much of the year. The traffic crawls. Yet, somehow, it's perennially popular. It could be the relaxing teahouse culture, with favourite local institutions serving the same brews for generations. Maybe it’s the lively nightlife, with a strong showing of local partiers bolstered by large student and expat populations. It might just be the food, famous both for heat and history even in this cuisine-rich culture. Then there are the pandas, both the live versions in the local Research Base and the plush, stuffed, cuddly kind for sale on seemingly every street