Looking for recommendations ...

Hi everyone,

Just curious for those who have lived and/or worked in China...

Which cities would you recommend and why?

I, ideally, would like a balance between nature and city. I know that's a bit difficult to get in China, but if anyone knows a city.

I would recommend that you live in a Chinese city that has less pollution, or a Chinese city located in the southern section of China where there is also less pollution and more warm weather. If there is any city I would recommend for you to be, it's Shenzhen.

I was planning on moving to Shenzhen but I turned it down because I got another
job offer here in Canada. But Shenzhen is the place I would recommend because there
is lots for you to see and do, the pollution levels there are not as bad as Beijing,
there is a lot good access to public transit, and you will be located right beside Hong
Kong where the upscale life on a weekend is of better quality.

I would recommend that you live in a Chinese city that has less pollution, or a Chinese city located in the southern section of China where there is also less pollution and more warm weather. If there is any city I would recommend for you to be, it's Shenzhen.

I was planning on moving to Shenzhen but I turned it down because I got another
job offer here in Canada. But Shenzhen is the place I would recommend because there
is lots for you to see and do, the pollution levels there are not as bad as Beijing,
there is a lot good access to public transit, and you will be located right beside Hong
Kong where the upscale life on a weekend is of better quality.

I will look into this, thank you

just got back from china visiting a friend who lives in shenzhen. seems like a decent modern city, and living so close to the HK border seems to have a lot of benefits.

Nanjing and Suzhou are nice for balance between nature and city also both are close to Shanghai with a decent expat population and facilities. Pollution isn't as bad either

Like somebody said Shenzhen and Guangzhou are also not bad.

If you want nature, Chengdu and Chongqing are nice just not a lot to do besides that

It really depends on what you want. I would recommend Shenzhen if you wanted to live a modern, western lifestyle. If you wanted history and culture too... there's a plethora of cities in Guangdong that offers much, much more than Shenzhen. I would even go further pointing to Fujian and Hainan for nicer environments.

Guangdong, especially away from the HK/Shenzhen/Dongguan/Forshan/Guangzhou behemoth, will give you the mix of city and culture.

And you dont need to live in Shenzhen for ease of access to HK. Guangzhou offers that with a 2 hour train right in to the middle of HK.

It also depends on what kind of nature you're looking for. I moved away from the behemoth to Hainan Island. City life is great and the nature's amazing. Added fresh, clean air and beautiful beaches.