Living and working in China in 2 years time

[prephil]

My wife and I are thinking of moving to China in a few years. She's from Hebei Province and I'm from Ireland. I lived and worked there for a year and that's how we met. We have a daughter who's six months old. I'm a mechanical engineer but have been out of work for almost a year. Recession has hit the manufacturing industry hard in Ireland. So at the moment I'm upskilling my studying an Industrial Engineering Course until I can find work.

It's always been in our plans to return and we have been talking about it recently that maybe in 2012 we'll head back and see how our fortunes end up. I want to get a headsp on a few things.

1. Having lived an worked in Shijiazhuang for a year I'd like to relocate in a clean city. My definition of clean would be a place where the air is relatively fresh. I have been to a few citties in China including Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Qingdao and the air was pretty appalling in them all although Wuhan was the least polluted but maybe that was because it was raining a lot. Ive been told Kunming is relatively nice. Is there any truth in that? Do they speak Mandarin there?

2. Learning Chinese. I have the basics but can't read characters. I figure I'll need to go to a school to learn for maybe a year. My wife isn't a great teacher. Repeat, repeat, repeat which I can't stand. Surely there's an easier way? Anyone recommend good schools in major cities.

3. Buying property. Is it possible to buy a house in a city or would it have to be an apartment? I suppose houses are really only in the suburbs and country, at least that's the way it looked to me. Any good websites on buying property?

4. Work. What are the prospects for an English speaking mechanical engineer? 3 years work experience? Don't want to teach again. No real satisfaction plus I'm not great. Tougher that I imagined.

Hope to get some feedback.

[abcdefg]

Ive been told Kunming is relatively nice. Is there any truth in that? Do they speak Mandarin there?

Kunming is indeed a great place to live and they do speak Mandarin here (along with a local dialect.)

Is it possible to buy a house in a city or would it have to be an apartment?

Free-standing, single-family dwelling are rare as hens’ teeth here, as they are in most (or all) of urban China. You would have to be really rich to buy one. Better to think "apartment" instead of "house."