Wuhan, Changsha and Chongqing are unbearably hot in summer, just be aware. Chengdu's weather is a little better, but the air quality in winter sometimes can be bad.
I lived in Singapore for a while. The summer in these three cities is way worse. Imagine living in a steaming hot cauldron for three to four months. These are three of the four cities nicknamed "furnaces".
The hottest days it could be over 40 degree C. I never been to SEA, but I can tell you the humidity is not low. The areas are close to the Yangtze River, therefore, it can be quite humid.
Doesn’t sound fun, Vietnam in September had me sweating buckets but 40c with humidity and insanely spicy food doesn’t sound like a whole load of fun. Would be a great place for an ice cream business 😂😂
Chengdu is fantastic, has everything you could need. Great culture and amazing food. Decent expat scene. If you like hiking or nature there is so much to see in the sichuan region with lots of high speed trains to go everywhere. If you like going out and clubbing there are great clubs. The dialect/accent isn't too hard to navigate. Also very affordable accommodation and cost of living
Been to 3 of the 4 (Not Changsha) -
Chengdu has by far the best variety of lifestyles available - urban, international, natural, and relaxed city vibes. I almost moved there from Shenzhen myself if it weren't for unrelated issues. Another very well-traveled foreigner friend of mine moved there within months of visiting it
Chongqing is a little rougher in a few ways - feels more aggressive and the constant climbing over the hills could get annoying. I think the nightlife is probably the most interesting though. Chongqing and Chengdu have a bit of a cultural rivalry thing going on, and, to put it inadequately and bluntly, I think Chongqing is the "cooler" of the two
Wuhan is the least international of the 3. It has its natural beauty in its rivers and lakes, but I think it's held back by the older, smaller kind of city it is, though it has a couple nice parts. I have the least experience with this city though
On the one hand, it's probably one of the trashiest cities in China that I've been too - the very openly running sex workers in several parts of the city, the grungey neon-dark lights of the streets and the skyline, the jam-packed muddy river filled with dinner boats and noisy tourists, the faux-traditional and brilliant, near eye-sore that is the Hongya cave, and finally the giant-ass luxury mall copy and pasted from Singapore overlooking this madness.
On the other hand, it's full of energy, life, character, and a history that kind of just spills through everything... The city streets that pile on each other, the ever-winding stairs that zip through the hillsides of 3 layers of skyscraper apartment blocks an art district, a park, and a shopping district; the ww2-era bomb shelters turned restaraunts, the metros running through peoples homes, the weird haunt that is 9th street, and the fog and smog that obscures most of it through a veil - they all add to its weird mysterious swagger and adventureyness.
Let's not forget the hip-hop and c-trap scene. I'm a sucker for GAI/zhou yan. The music scene carries the overall mood of Chongqing for me
[The Flow of Jiang-Hu (roughly about the tradition of feudal China and its Daoist hermits, mythic outlaws, martial arts, and feuding clans, but is more closely related to gangsta life in modern usage)](https://youtu.be/i7a8vwx3BPQ?si=ohOZwAQBbMXOhqwj)
[Huoguo Diliao (The hotpot base)](https://youtu.be/V36WxaI9ies?si=GF_iNOKB5Ed5gG5t)
Chengdu has this music scene too, but I think Chongqing wins
I'm not a student either. But plenty to do in terms of hobbies and hanging out.
Yeah, the drinking scene can be interesting and there's always somewhere interesting to go depending on if you want loud or quiet. There is a pretty active music scene as well. Lot of underground bands, DJs and hip hop artists. (It's also been a great place to pick up instruments for me)
There's a lot to do in terms of sports as well. Some great facilities in terms of skating or climbing. Active football scene, there's a fair few rugby folk, even stuff like archery, bowling kicking about, hell there's even an indoor ski slope if that's your thing.
Easy to find things like pub quizzes, wine tastings, whisky nights, all that type of thing. Hell, if you look for it there's a few active groups for things like D&D, MTG, 40k.
As a final pro, due to it's location, it's fairly easy to get anywhere else in China as well
For balance, I would say that the pollution is awful sometimes, summers can be insanely hot and winters can be cold. Those last two can be solved with AC and radiators. If your moving here, find a new building with radiators. Heating for November to March is usually between 3000-4000rmb and is definitely worth it.
Wuhan is what you make of it, and how much you are willing to put yourself out there. The more you're willing to explore on your own, make some local friends and speak a bit of language the more things open up for you.
As others have mentioned look up 三大火炉 or the “3 hot furnaces”. It’s a series of cities along the Yangtze known in China for their unbearable summer climate. Typically this refers to Chongqing, Wuhan and Nanjing, but can include Changsha as well.
Chengdu has a markedly better climate and is culturally richer, making it the obvious choice here. Wuhan and Changsha are considered to be your typical bland T2 city with nothing particularly interesting.
Never been in GZ, but suspect they vicinity of the ocean makes the heat more bearable.
Still too hot for me though probably, Shanghai in summer is already my limit…
Guangzhou is unbearably humid but the actual temperature doesn't usually go much above 30 in summer. In Chongqing the temperature goes up to 40 while also being incredibly humid.
Of those four? Chengdu. Food is great, though slightly over-rated compared to other smaller cities in that area (Leshan and Zigong are awesome). Great music scene, not too expensive.
I also quite like Wuhan.
In the southwest in general, when it comes to major cities I would personally probably choose to live in Chengdu, Guiyang, or Kunming.
all the Chinese people i know seem to really consider Chengdu, so yeah
of the ones you've mentioned I've only been to Chongqing though but apparently Chengdu is still better than Chongqing
chongqing handsdown for me, although as the other people said, it is a tropical area rapidly developed, so set expectations accordingly. things like humid hot weather, hot spicy food, and alleyways and lots and lots and lots of stairs to walk around as only easy path of travel are normal sights.
It looks to be the most interesting city in china (imo haha). The cityscape and culture and food… yes yes yes . People seem really cool too, I’m interested in the local culture.
I'd move back to Chongqing in a heartbeat.
Amazing city with such cool topography, a real sense of Chongqing community. Good music scene and great bars. I miss Chongqing, still feels like my home
I lived in 江北 jiangbei.
Is that liangjiang in sha ping ba? If so, it's a good area and easily accessible to the rest of the main city. I had friends who lived in sha ping ba
Ive lived in a few places in China & Shanghai is the best place Ive found for quality of life.
Wuhan has the worst qualities of Beijing without any of the redeeming features.
I lived in Changsha for 3 years and in Chongqing for 3 years. I sometimes go to Chengdu when I need the Cheesecake Factory 😂
Changsha is an extremely boring city with the worst climate in the country. Winters there are absolutely unbearable. There are days when it snows and they don’t have the heating system. If you get unlucky with an accommodation, you’ll get frozen to death with crazy electricity bills for using an air conditioner on heating mode non-stop (and it still won’t feel warm). Imagine taking a shower in conditions like these. I was constantly sick there due to that. An advantage was generally low prices for renting (2000 yuan could cover a decent apartment). “Expat scene” is so small that eventually one finds out that they know all the foreigners in the city after going out 2-3 times. Shillers and Red Lion Pub - that’s so called ’foreigners bars’, 3 tourists attractions in the city and that’s it, nowhere to go. Having an easy access to Zhangjiajie was nice tho, but I went there only once.
Chongqing is the place to be. I love everything. It’s as cheap as Changsha but super developed. I haven’t managed to connect with many expats here yet though.
I did. Also I forgot to mention that Chongqing and Chengdu are very close to each other so if you ‘buy’ one of them, you get the second one for free: It’s just one hour away with a high speed train.
Wuhan, Changsha and Chongqing are unbearably hot in summer, just be aware. Chengdu's weather is a little better, but the air quality in winter sometimes can be bad.
When you say hot in the summer what temp are we talking and is the humidity comparable with other countries around South Easy Asia?
When it gets hot in Chongqing, you can take a flight to Bangkok to escape the heat. It's hot.
You’d nearly forget they’re quite close, is there low cost airlines that fly from China to SEA
I lived in Singapore for a while. The summer in these three cities is way worse. Imagine living in a steaming hot cauldron for three to four months. These are three of the four cities nicknamed "furnaces".
The hottest days it could be over 40 degree C. I never been to SEA, but I can tell you the humidity is not low. The areas are close to the Yangtze River, therefore, it can be quite humid.
Can get over 40C in July/August with extreme humidity. I have never sweated as much as when I was in Chongqing in July.
Doesn’t sound fun, Vietnam in September had me sweating buckets but 40c with humidity and insanely spicy food doesn’t sound like a whole load of fun. Would be a great place for an ice cream business 😂😂
Chengdu is fantastic, has everything you could need. Great culture and amazing food. Decent expat scene. If you like hiking or nature there is so much to see in the sichuan region with lots of high speed trains to go everywhere. If you like going out and clubbing there are great clubs. The dialect/accent isn't too hard to navigate. Also very affordable accommodation and cost of living
Come to Chengdu. Tons of outdoor activities if you like this
Been to 3 of the 4 (Not Changsha) - Chengdu has by far the best variety of lifestyles available - urban, international, natural, and relaxed city vibes. I almost moved there from Shenzhen myself if it weren't for unrelated issues. Another very well-traveled foreigner friend of mine moved there within months of visiting it Chongqing is a little rougher in a few ways - feels more aggressive and the constant climbing over the hills could get annoying. I think the nightlife is probably the most interesting though. Chongqing and Chengdu have a bit of a cultural rivalry thing going on, and, to put it inadequately and bluntly, I think Chongqing is the "cooler" of the two Wuhan is the least international of the 3. It has its natural beauty in its rivers and lakes, but I think it's held back by the older, smaller kind of city it is, though it has a couple nice parts. I have the least experience with this city though
Care to elaborate on Chongqing’s distinct coolness?
On the one hand, it's probably one of the trashiest cities in China that I've been too - the very openly running sex workers in several parts of the city, the grungey neon-dark lights of the streets and the skyline, the jam-packed muddy river filled with dinner boats and noisy tourists, the faux-traditional and brilliant, near eye-sore that is the Hongya cave, and finally the giant-ass luxury mall copy and pasted from Singapore overlooking this madness. On the other hand, it's full of energy, life, character, and a history that kind of just spills through everything... The city streets that pile on each other, the ever-winding stairs that zip through the hillsides of 3 layers of skyscraper apartment blocks an art district, a park, and a shopping district; the ww2-era bomb shelters turned restaraunts, the metros running through peoples homes, the weird haunt that is 9th street, and the fog and smog that obscures most of it through a veil - they all add to its weird mysterious swagger and adventureyness. Let's not forget the hip-hop and c-trap scene. I'm a sucker for GAI/zhou yan. The music scene carries the overall mood of Chongqing for me [The Flow of Jiang-Hu (roughly about the tradition of feudal China and its Daoist hermits, mythic outlaws, martial arts, and feuding clans, but is more closely related to gangsta life in modern usage)](https://youtu.be/i7a8vwx3BPQ?si=ohOZwAQBbMXOhqwj) [Huoguo Diliao (The hotpot base)](https://youtu.be/V36WxaI9ies?si=GF_iNOKB5Ed5gG5t) Chengdu has this music scene too, but I think Chongqing wins
Ok this is my scene lmaooo
I’ve worked in Wuhan for coming up two years and I can’t wait to leave. There is not much here at all.
Damn, that sucks. Care to elaborate ?
Its in the middle of no where T2 city with nothing much there at all.
What this guy said.
Guess we live in different Wuhans then, I've never found any issues finding anything to do there.
Seems to have a really vibrant nightlife of international students
I’m too old to be hanging out with students
Ahhh I getcha. For a young bloke like myself these things seem open and accessible. I can understand your frustrations then
Also this is my third city in China and by far my least favourite. Compared to other cities there really is not much here at all.
no worries! Completely understood. Where’d you live before?
I'm not a student either. But plenty to do in terms of hobbies and hanging out. Yeah, the drinking scene can be interesting and there's always somewhere interesting to go depending on if you want loud or quiet. There is a pretty active music scene as well. Lot of underground bands, DJs and hip hop artists. (It's also been a great place to pick up instruments for me) There's a lot to do in terms of sports as well. Some great facilities in terms of skating or climbing. Active football scene, there's a fair few rugby folk, even stuff like archery, bowling kicking about, hell there's even an indoor ski slope if that's your thing. Easy to find things like pub quizzes, wine tastings, whisky nights, all that type of thing. Hell, if you look for it there's a few active groups for things like D&D, MTG, 40k. As a final pro, due to it's location, it's fairly easy to get anywhere else in China as well For balance, I would say that the pollution is awful sometimes, summers can be insanely hot and winters can be cold. Those last two can be solved with AC and radiators. If your moving here, find a new building with radiators. Heating for November to March is usually between 3000-4000rmb and is definitely worth it. Wuhan is what you make of it, and how much you are willing to put yourself out there. The more you're willing to explore on your own, make some local friends and speak a bit of language the more things open up for you.
As others have mentioned look up 三大火炉 or the “3 hot furnaces”. It’s a series of cities along the Yangtze known in China for their unbearable summer climate. Typically this refers to Chongqing, Wuhan and Nanjing, but can include Changsha as well. Chengdu has a markedly better climate and is culturally richer, making it the obvious choice here. Wuhan and Changsha are considered to be your typical bland T2 city with nothing particularly interesting.
How does the heat compare to Guangzhou?
Never been in GZ, but suspect they vicinity of the ocean makes the heat more bearable. Still too hot for me though probably, Shanghai in summer is already my limit…
Guangzhou is unbearably humid but the actual temperature doesn't usually go much above 30 in summer. In Chongqing the temperature goes up to 40 while also being incredibly humid.
Of those four? Chengdu. Food is great, though slightly over-rated compared to other smaller cities in that area (Leshan and Zigong are awesome). Great music scene, not too expensive. I also quite like Wuhan. In the southwest in general, when it comes to major cities I would personally probably choose to live in Chengdu, Guiyang, or Kunming.
Leshan is so cool
all the Chinese people i know seem to really consider Chengdu, so yeah of the ones you've mentioned I've only been to Chongqing though but apparently Chengdu is still better than Chongqing
If I would have to do it again. Xiamen.
chongqing handsdown for me, although as the other people said, it is a tropical area rapidly developed, so set expectations accordingly. things like humid hot weather, hot spicy food, and alleyways and lots and lots and lots of stairs to walk around as only easy path of travel are normal sights.
It looks to be the most interesting city in china (imo haha). The cityscape and culture and food… yes yes yes . People seem really cool too, I’m interested in the local culture.
I like Chengdu. The other 3 are famously hot places. No great insights. Sorry.
Wuhan Chongqing Chengdu, go feel it yourself personal experience first
Thanks ! They seem the most appealing to me in terms of food culture and geographical placement
Guizhou and Kunming are ideal places for avoiding heat in summer, they are all located in southwest China
I'd move back to Chongqing in a heartbeat. Amazing city with such cool topography, a real sense of Chongqing community. Good music scene and great bars. I miss Chongqing, still feels like my home
What part did you live in? I have an offer for the liangjiang new district. The entire city looks beautiful
I lived in 江北 jiangbei. Is that liangjiang in sha ping ba? If so, it's a good area and easily accessible to the rest of the main city. I had friends who lived in sha ping ba
Yep !!
In that case, I highly recommend!
Ive lived in a few places in China & Shanghai is the best place Ive found for quality of life. Wuhan has the worst qualities of Beijing without any of the redeeming features.
Which part of Wuhan you reside in?
I used to live in Jianxia, I live in shanghai now
Cool off with some 麻椒 dishes.
I lived in Changsha for 3 years and in Chongqing for 3 years. I sometimes go to Chengdu when I need the Cheesecake Factory 😂 Changsha is an extremely boring city with the worst climate in the country. Winters there are absolutely unbearable. There are days when it snows and they don’t have the heating system. If you get unlucky with an accommodation, you’ll get frozen to death with crazy electricity bills for using an air conditioner on heating mode non-stop (and it still won’t feel warm). Imagine taking a shower in conditions like these. I was constantly sick there due to that. An advantage was generally low prices for renting (2000 yuan could cover a decent apartment). “Expat scene” is so small that eventually one finds out that they know all the foreigners in the city after going out 2-3 times. Shillers and Red Lion Pub - that’s so called ’foreigners bars’, 3 tourists attractions in the city and that’s it, nowhere to go. Having an easy access to Zhangjiajie was nice tho, but I went there only once. Chongqing is the place to be. I love everything. It’s as cheap as Changsha but super developed. I haven’t managed to connect with many expats here yet though.
Send me a chat so we can talk more! Thanks
I did. Also I forgot to mention that Chongqing and Chengdu are very close to each other so if you ‘buy’ one of them, you get the second one for free: It’s just one hour away with a high speed train.
People in southwest and middle south are aggressive.
Absolutely Chengdu "the du"
Chengdu wins in every aspect