[Villain]

Hey guys

I'm about to finish my first year teaching in China. My city is really dull so I'm ready for a change.

Which areas in Beijing are good for logistics? I will be living on an English teacher's salary and also want to save money so this is a factor in my decision.

If anyone is in Beijing then feel free to message me with your wechat and maybe we will hang out at some point.

[FretDancer]

I used to live in Beijing for around 3 months. Best areas for logistics would probably be:

- 五道口 (WuDaoKou): University area with thousands of students. This means thousands of beautiful Chinese student girls.
- 三里屯 (SanLiTun): Embassy area with lots of foreigners (meaning more girls that are into foreigners), western bars & restaurants, as well as clubs.

[yankeetravels]

I'm considering a move to China for teaching myself in the near future. Can you elaborate a bit on your experience there as a westerner?

[ball dont lie]

My advice would be: don't move to Beijing.

The pollution is terrible, the weather is similarly bad, the city is so big it takes forever to go anywhere.

Consider southern China: Xiamen, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Zhongshan, Zhuhai.

Lots of money, great climate, very little pollution (for China), better looking women, nightlife can be OK.

[Transsimian]

I think the biggest negative is the unimaginably bad air pollution

[Villain]

Ok, I think I'll look into Shenzhen as well then.

[Laserspewpew]

The eastern part of the centre of the city is the best to live in; Dongzhimen, Sanlitun, Shuangjing and the areas close to those spots are the most popular.

The pollution is what it is; sometimes it's apocalyptic, sometimes It's clear blue skies like it's the 1930's again, most of the time it's somewhere inbetween. The clear skies are far more common than people would have you believe though. The weather is harsh, the winters are cold and the summers are hot. The city is crowded and the subway can be overwhelming but the wide streets give it a more open feel than Hong Kong and outside of rush hour the subway system is a fantastic and cheap method of getting around.

On the plus side the social scene blows every city on the mainland, bar Shanghai, completely out of the water (even Shenzhen). Like everything in Beijing it will take a while to find your feet but there are great restaurants with cuisine from all over the country everywhere, there is also genuinely delicious western fare across the eastern side of the city. Dating in Beijing is like shooting fish in a barrel and the Capital attracts the highest quality women from all over Northern China. If you like taller, lighter skinned women with more T+A you'll love Beijing. Chinese women here are far more open to short term relationships than in Tier 2 cities. There are lots of foreign women too and the ratios are massively in your favour since unlike foreign men they tend not to date locals.

Beijing isn't easy but if you put up with its ugly side the rewards are abundant. I wouldn't raise a family in the city but for a year or two of drunken sex fueled fun, with a dash of learning mandarin and eating awesome Chinese food it's an incredible life experience.

[Villain]

Just had an interview and was told I can't work in Beijing. Apparently you need two year's teaching experience whereas I only have one.