You are correct in basically all that you say, but I actually kind of liked Xian.

Very quick opinions on non-Hebei cities:

As for southern cities, Xiamen and Kunming are the two best cities, not only in the south, but really, in China, in my opinion. You probably can't go wrong working in Guilin either, as it is at least very clean, by Chinese standards. In fact, outside of the touristy places, it is not so bad and I even kind of liked it when I volunteered there. Changsha, in Hunan, was a boring city, with the most impolite Chinese people I have met in all of China. Avoid Chongqing at all costs as well, as it is literally, the worst smelling city I have ever been to in my life, and really dirty and polluted. Chengdu, however, is not so bad. It is a little over rated, but it might be towards the end of my top ten, if I had to choose cities. Up north, I would go with Qingdao or Dalian I suppose. I would also give Shenzhen and Guangzhou a big fat miss. Don't bother. Beijing is cool....to visit, not live. Not missing anything in Shanghai, go outside that crap city to Hangzhou or Suzou.

Top ten cities
1. Xiamen
2. Kunming
3. Guilin
4. Qingdao
5. Suzhou
6. Dalian
7. Hangzhou
8. Chengdu
9. Zhuhai
10. Again, call me crazy, but I liked Xian (and Nanjing is tied for tenth, despite its summers). maybe that is because there might not be ten cities that I would live in, in China, and I need to include a tenth, or maybe its that I have not been to enough places. Maybe something else.

Cities to avoid
1. Shijiazhuang (like the plague)
2. Handan
3. Wuhan (especially in summer)
4. (If it weren't for the winter) Harbin (would not be here!)
5. Tianjin
6. Changsha
7. Chongqing
8. Linfen
9. Datong
10. Shenzhen