Shenyang

[jackiechanbabe]

Does anyone here study Chinese or live in Shenyang? Would you recommend it over Qingdao? I don't need a huge crazy city with endless nightlife, but I do want markets, places to walk at night, safety, some expat community (I know NO Chinese), and green areas.

Has the pollution really disappeared like I read about?

Things to do?

nice people?

easy to get a train to Beijing or Shanghai?

Any advice would be great!

[Sarevok]

I have never been to Qingdao (airports do not count, I suppose ), so I can't tell which one is better, but I really liked Shenyang (I stayed there for nearly 2 months back in summer 2008). Really not that much pollution, which was quite suprising for such a big city - might have been because of the Olympics that year, but I had two fellow students who were staying there after I left and they said, that the situation didn't worsen that much...

The only problem I can think of was traffic - my school's (Shenyang Normal University) campus was basically in the suburbs and it could take as much as one hour to get to the center by bus (and then at least another half an hour to get to some destinations). This problem might not exist anymore, as I heard that they have already completed the subway, which was under construction during my stay there (according to their plan there was supposed to be a subway station just by the campus gate). Otherwise, prices of acommodation, food etc. were quite cheap... well, as in your regular provincial capital that is.

Don't know much about the English speaking expat community (I usually try to keep my distance from these, as I want to speak Chinese as much as possible), but there are lots of Russians and Koreans for obvious reasons... which means a lot of Korean restaurants if you like their food (I do).

The people were generally nice and willing to help (I met some really nice people when we were looking for a flat for my two friends). Trains to Beijing are not a problem, if you take a D train you'll be there in around 4 hours...

[889]

In terms of "markets, places to walk at night, safety, some expat community, and green areas," I'd say Qingdao lords it over Shenyang in every category; there's little comparison, in fact. And the climate's far nicer in Qingdao.

[suserouse]

I have to say Qingdao is much better, then Shenyang. I leaved in Shenyang for 4 years, and now it's my third year in Qingdao. No regret at all, probably because after 4 years I just needed to change place.