Any Recommendations for Location

[donmemo]

I am an american expat and have been living in Guatemala for the last 13 years and would like to relocate permanently to China. I expect I will try to obtain a job teaching English but my major concern is that I would like to live someplace where it does not get too cold. Also I do NOT like big cities. Any recommendations for a small village or town that would fit my criteria for lifestyle and teaching English. I have been researching places such as Wuhan, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Hunan. Chengdu is a no go mainly because it doesn't get much sunshine annually. Any advise is welcome.

[renzhe]

If you do not like big cities, why are you researching cities which are 2x larger than the largest cities in the US? These are all huge, huge cities. You can fit the population of entire Central America into the Guangzhou-Shenzhen metropolitan area, with empty apartments left over.

You should definitely be more specific about your criteria for lifestyle. Do you want an expat scene, surviving with English only? Then you'll need a big city.

[Silent]

I have to second Renzhe. Maybe you should do a little more research. Do you know Chinese? Have you ever been to China? Based on your post I feel it's twice no. Without knowledge of Chinese China can be a harsh place specially if you get away from the big cities and touristic places. Communication will be very hard and consequently it can be lonely. Nothing wrong with it, it will help you learn Chinese quickly. Know however what you get into. It's not everybody's cup of tea.

With respect where to go, we need more info. Moderate winters implies the south east also depending on what you consider not too cold. But this is a big area with thousends of settlements, towns, villages and cities with populations ranging from a few to many millions.

[imron]

Kunming is probably worth looking in to.

[donmemo]

Thank you all for your responses. As I have done in Guatemala and learned a few of the 26 Mayan dialects I expect that I must learn Chinese to be able to function in a small village or town.. My research has indicated that the southeast coast would be the type of climate that I am looking for. It's just a matter of finding a small town or village where I can sustain a living which I imagine would be teaching English.. Thanks again for your informative responses. Will look into Kunming.