Which cities are like Nanjing and Qingdao

[ithelps]

I spent a year in Nanjing learning Mandarin, best time in my life. I want to go back, but I need to choose 3 university for the scholarship I will be applying for. I don't want to go back to Nanjing.

 

Qingdao seems somewhat like Nanjing. What other cities would you recommend. I don't want to be in first tier cities, too expensive for me.

 

I perfer to stay north of Nanjing, but I would consider the south too. Just let me know. I don't want cities too small, it will bore me.

[Chris Two Times]

I have been to Nanjing but I have never been to Qingdao, so I am throwing out "the grain of salt", but I don't get the feeling that Qingdao could be somewhat like Nanjing. Perhaps? Maybe?

 

When I hear Qingdao though, my knee-jerk reaction is to say "Yantai" and "Dalian". 

 

Warm regards,

Chris Two Times

[roddy]

Hangzhou might be the obvious choice - bit smaller, but geographically and culturally very close to Nanjing. 

[Chris Two Times]

Hangzhou might be the obvious choice - bit smaller, but geographically and culturally very close to Nanjing. 

 

In that case, I then want to add "Suzhou" to the mix.

 

Warm regards,

Chris Two Times

[ithelps]

I never been to Qingdao, but what makes you say that Qingdao is not like Nanjing? I have been to Suzhou, don't think i want to study there, Nanjing is more developed. I want to go more north, and don't think i want to study in Hangzhou either

[Chris Two Times]

As I have never been to Qingdao, I can't comment with any authority on this. It just seems to me that Nanjing has a historical element that goes way back (in addition to its sadder history from the 20th century), whereas Qingdao's historical element seems to be focused on the 19th and 20th century and the German colonial period.

 

I guess I was thinking of a regional difference with Qingdao being on the coast in Shandong and Nanjing being inland in Jiangsu and in the shadows (?) of Shanghai and because of that, I didn't see the connection. Also, with Nanjing being a provincial capital and Qingdao "just being a second-tier" city, I didn't note a resemblance.

 

Nonetheless, it does seem that Qingdao could be a good place to study, either at Qingdao University or at Ocean University perhaps. Hey, why not? I believe both schools do support people who have received the Chinese Government Scholarship or the Shandong Provincial Scholarship for one year of Chinese language study--that is something worth checking into.

 

http://www.csc.edu.cn/studyinchina/scholarshipdetailen.aspx?cid=105&id=2942

 

Just my two jiao and two fen.

 

Warm regards,

Chris Two Times

[abcdefg]

What did you like about Nanjing? What do you think you would like about Qingdao? What features of these cities are you trying to duplicate? Your question is not easily answered as it now stands.

[tooironic]

Yes, I'm struggling to figure out what the similarities are between the two cities. I've been to both and they seem quite different to me.

[liuzhou]

Having been to both, I agree with tooironic. I also don't understand this:

 

 

I spent a year in Nanjing learning Mandarin, best time in my life. I want to go back...

 

... I don't want to go back to Nanjing.

[ithelps]

well Nanjing is pretty developed, not much foiegners, but enough. there are a bunch of stuff to do, and if you want to get out of the city then you can do so.

I am looking for to somewhat a similar experience but in a different city, preferably cleaner air.

does qingdao not resemble this? is it developed? is food cheaper there?

[ithelps]

i am just looking for a city with better air quality, an expat forum, some foreigners,and a city that is pretty developed like Nanjing.

[Sarpedon]

Check out Dalian.

 

I lived in both Nanjing and Dalian and although they aren't very similar at all in terms of people and geography, the western lifestyle in each is similar.  Although you will find more Russians in Dalian than in Nanjing.

 

Dalian's seaside location is also fantastic.

[ithelps]

What is different about them?

 

How are their accent? I hear people say the more north you go, the more standard their accent are. But I was talking to some old guy from Harbin, and it didn't even sound that great. Took me almost a year to kind of understand what he was saying. Nanjing accent, sounds pretty standard to me. but what I noticed all the young people accents are standards, its just the old people that are not.

 

Also are there any people who inline skate in Dalian or QingDao?

 

 

I've decided I want to go to QingDao and Dalian to study, but which university in Dalian would anyone of you recommend? I need one more city, any ideas?

[abcdefg]

Also are there any people who inline skate in Dalian or QingDao?

 

No comment.