Hi, my name is Ben. I'm coming over to China next week to look for a place to live. I really like the idea of living in Southwest China, but I haven't picked a city yet.

I'm curious what those of you who live in Kunming think of it? The other city I'm considering (and may have a job offer or two soon) is Guilin. I know Kunming is bigger and more international. What do you guys think. My biggest concerns are air quality, weather, natural beauty and a relaxed way of life. My Chinese is good enough converse with people who don't speak any English.

Good prospects would be nice too, but it's not as important as the above. I'd also like to keep studying yoga and maybe pick up some Taichi or Qigong (actually this last bit is pretty important too).

Any help is welcome and appreciated.

Thanks,
Ben

In terms of air quality the two cities are comparable, weather tends to be milder in Kunming - Guilin can get quite hot and is also rather humid, Guilin wins a close one in terms of natural beauty, and both places have a relatively relaxed way of life.

Not sure about the job market in Guilin, as far as I know the economy is focused on tourism and pharmaceuticals. There are probably plenty of teaching gigs but I'm not sure about other types of work.

There are definitely taiji and qigong study options here in Kunming, but there should be a few in every relatively large city.

I would say depending on what kind of person you are, Kunming, Nanning and Chengdu are the most liveable cities in southwest China.

Good luck,

Chris

Kunming is a great city to live in, except for one big problem: the overcrowding and the attendant problems it brings. The traffic is horrific, and riding a bike in the city entails breathing lots of car and bus exhaust.

I visited Guilin a few years ago, and it seemed that the traffic then was better than Kunming's now, but I dunno how they compare today.

Here are your air quality rankings. air.ipe.org.cn/en/kqzl_pm.jsp

I can only compare Kunming to Shanghai, where I lived for over a year. I can tell you, at least in terms of small particulate matter, there is no comparison. I like not having to dust my apartment every 2 days, and there's a natural feel to being able to teach a class without visible smog floating inside the room.

I don't know what kind of beauty you're looking for. Kunming only has one park of any size to speak of. It's the central park called Cui Hu (Green Lake). It's quite beautiful, but that's it. There are mountains to climb on the outskirts of the city and places to go mountain bike riding. But it's still a big city with all the ugly buildings and traffic that big cities have.

Thanks for the responses so far. So the air is good except in heavy traffic. It's pretty but there's only the one main park and the surrounding area is awesome.

I'm coming from Taipei, and honestly Taipei was a little busy for me. I want something more relaxed and mellow. I'd like fresher air than I found there too. Anybody who has spent some time in Taipei care to weigh in?

Is there any place else I should be considering?

Thanks again for all the help.

most of this is right except for the part about only 1 large park. I've been to several although can't remember most of their names apart from Daguan park.

Dalian is nice (but freaking cold in the winter), and I hear good things about Xiamen.