"I have found that cities like Shanghai and Beijing do not give the experience of the 'real' China. There are simply too many tourists and foreigners in those places and English is everywhere, it is just like being in another western city."
I am also out in the sticks its certainly the way forward - very rewarding and even buying the basics can be a challenge but its great, when myself and another foreign teacher played in a tournament in the city, we were treated like professionals with boots, tracksuits, and local TV and local government elites in attendence.. MAD!
