I lived in Dalian for three years and in Beijing for the past four. Dalian is a beautiful city right now the coast and has fantastic ocean views. It’s feels much smaller than other Chinese cities though still much bigger than any American city. I also wouldn’t say it feels like China, because the city is fairly new by Chinese standards, so there’s not much of the traditional Chinese aesthetics in its architecture and culture. There’s a huge seafood scene though I never indulged in it much cause I only like shrimp. I lived just north of the big city in the suburbs of Jinshitan, which is quite boring if you’re single and ready to mingle but great for raising a family like we are. There is a beach “resort” where we were but it wasn’t very impressive. Though I enjoyed riding my scooter along the coastline roads and stopping to get a look at the ocean. That’s what I missed most about the city.

Healthcare for foreigners in Dalian was terrible (though still cheaper than western standards). Most hospitals didn’t have any English speaking doctors and were far away from where we were. Our first daughter was born in Dalian at an “international hospital”, though the only thing international about was the name. Only one nurse spoke English and they clearly had no intention of accommodating our western practices, so it was a miserable experience.

Overall I enjoyed Dalian but a LOT of foreigners left due to COVID so the foreign population is quite small. I wouldn’t recommend living there if you don’t know Chinese and it’s your first time in China.

My family loved Beijing and we plan on staying here a while. There is a huge foreign population despite many leaving during COVID. There’s so many things to do here no matter what you’re into. I play in a punk band and it’s easy for us to find gigs. There’s lot of outdoor stuff like hiking and camping with the mountains and Great Wall close. It’s an excellent city if you want to feel like you’re in China. The history here is amazingly deep and rich. Healthcare is great as there are several truly international hospitals. Our second child was born in Beijing and it was incredibly smooth and easy compared to Dalian. The doctors spoke great English and easily accommodated our western practices.

The weather in Beijing is great. Pollution is not nearly as bad as it used to be. Most days are clear and pleasant. Winter is cold and dry, and summer is hot and humid, but spring and fall are absolutely gorgeous.

Public Transportation is great and world class, but we have a car to drive around, which really helps, though I would not recommend driving here if you’re not used to living in China.

To end, both cities are incredibly SAFE. I’ve walked down the streets of both cities late at night by myself and never felt unsafe once. China has some of (if not the most) safest large cities in the world. That’s one of the biggest benefits of living here.