YueyangOpinions
http://chinateachers.proboards17.com/index.cgi?board=cities&action=display&thread=1142198098
Well, I guess I should try to introduce Yueyang. I am going to have to disagree with some of the wonderful things I have heard about Yueyang on this forum, and my suggestion would be to stay clear of it. I do not understand what it's appeal was to others.
The pluses.
It is easy to navigate, not too big. Have only been lost a few times, but no worries the PSB found my Uni. within 4 hours or so.
The food is the best I have tasted, so far in China, and the cheapest. Mind you I have only been to Guangzhou, Xi'an, Beijing and Guilin and it's surroundings. I like spicy food, much more spicy then the food I am eating in Hunan, so that is not a problem for me.
The school here is very good and lets you do whatever you please, change classes around to suit your needs, break classes in half if they are rotters, go outside with lessons, choose all material. Anything goes other than the damn English corner......but even then! One meeting at the beginning of each term and I think they just hope to not here from you again until the next sit-in.
All foreign residents are brand new, so that is also a bonus.
Classes are small in comparison with some of the figures I have seen, 30 students a class, well mine anyway.
Transportation is relatively cheap and easy.
There is a walmart, an A Best, Kentucky Duck and MacDonalds for all those who need a fix.
Nightlife is so so, bars change at rapid speeds, as do restaurants.
Dongting Lake is a beautiful lake, but being from Canada, I get really pissed, especially with the sweltering humidity, that I can't jump in. If anything, I feel it is more of a tease.
The countryside can be beautiful for those of you who are into dust bowl, behind the time type places (which I am).
Changsha is an hour and a half away, but I am not crazy over Changsha.
You are somewhat in the middle of China so travel is convenient.
The Minuses
Because you are on Dongting Lake, the weather sucks. And I do not mean this mildly, I have never seen weather as miserable as this in my entire life, nor would I ever want to spend another year in it. Rain, rain and more rain. Winter is chill to the bone cold and damp, there is no heat anywhere so this further enhances this pooty environment. The winds are terrible, it sounds like your windows are going to pop at any moment; and RAIN, but don't try to carry that umbrella because you may end up on the scene of a Mary Poppins movie. The summer is another issue, mind you I got here in September, but that was sample enough. Two minutes out the door and you might as well go back in for a second change of clothing because the first set will be drenched. It is like walking into a sauna, the humidity is unbearable and suddenly the winds seem to have disappeared.
Why it is on the list of tourist spots to see is beyond me, I would be real pissed if I took a special trip to come to this area, as there is little to desire. Perhaps the dragon boat festival may provide a little entertainment, I will let you know.
People are not the greatest in comparison to other places I have been in China, not a very warm bunch. That is not including the students, who are wonderful...mind you half of them are not from here and feel the same way about Yueyang as I do.
Driving around here is like a death trap waiting to happen, I swear I will die in Yueyang's traffic, either by making that quick jolt across the road or by my crazy motorcycle friends. It is totally insanity, lights are not adhered to and the horn is the rule of the road.
Do not expect pants and shoes to remain clean during an outing because they will not, dust bowl city, and when you wash them expect 3 or more days for drying as the weather is so damp. Unless, perhaps, you get one of those lucky sunny days. Which brings me to the gloom and dullness you see everyday, I rarely see the sun and I definitely have to squint to see the stars.
If I may add one tempering note...
My wife and I went to Yueyang for a weekend and had a decent time, though we did run out of things to do halfway through the second day.
The best part - and this is worth it - was going to the rickety dock where Gonzo went by accident...
...and getting a boat over to the island where they grow silver needle tea.
The island was quite pleasant to walk around and rather deserted. It was beautiful in a low-key way. Not really like anywhere else I've been in China. Not spectacular, but certainly pleasant...
And the view of Yueyang from Dongting Hu is nice, too.
I guess the best part of Yueyang is the island rather than Yueyang itself, although the town does have a nice old pagoda surrounded by a nice old neigborhood.
To sum up, I wouldn't want to live in Yueyang either, I don't think. I can think of worse places to live, but then the weather was pretty nice the weekend we were there so I'm not addressing the major complaint. The city is also not worth a visit on its own if you're coming from far away, but if you live in Changsha or Wuhan or are traveling between the two it can be a nice weekend.
It was worth our trip there to see these two kids in the neighborhood near the pagoda. They were very friendly.
