Let's dissect that Scott...

I've made many a trip to Dalian and nearby cities in the past and can say that you're right about the weather. It's actually a popular tourist destination in summer for those hoping to escape really warm places down South. However, it's nowhere near as nice as Qingdao. The sun tends to set early due to China's insistence upon a singular time zone for the whole country; just like in Shanghai.

This is another bit of crock about a dearth of foreigners in Dalian. Salaries for foreign teachers in Dalian are actually on the low side because like Hainan there is a very net OVERSUPPLY of foreign teachers.

There's an oversupply of underqualified or not so legal teachers. Go to the cheaper bars and drinking places and you'll see Serbian, Ukrainians and Americans/Canadians on 10 year tourist visas all drinking and chatting together. This works out great for some of us as there's an increased selection of Eastern European chicks to bang, but as a legitimate teacher, it probably means you're getting screwed because dodgy schools can opt for those types of teachers that will take lower pay or not be so bothered about not getting the correct visa.

I nearly died when I read that there is nothing to do ....Dalian is a little Beijing ... it is all here just in reduced numbers. The expat communities are very large. Because of Siemens and Mercedes Benz and

Volkswagen there is a huge German expat community, followed by a large Russian and then Korean community.

Oktoberfest, the German autumn drinking bing, is a huge event in Dalian. And Dalian makes some of the best beer in China.

Dalian Dry is a decent Chinese beer but the brewer has been bought, sold and generally just passed around like a bitch in the past years, quality is decreasing every year that I visit. But Dalian does not have a good reputation amongst Chinese people for good beer;even though there's an up and coming craft brewing scene. Everyone based there considers the beer festival to be an awful non-event and attendance numbers are apparently falling.

Yes, there's expat communities but they're full of alcoholics and sleazebags; I know as I've sold products to some of them. The Japanese and Korean places are cool, but apart from students, you'll see only a few Russians these days.

Dalian is a little Beijing? No, it's just Dalian; it actually has many a thing going for it that Beijing doesn't have.

The city of Dalian has got a great underground / subway system for a city its size. It has four very functional lines that will take you anywhere.

Even with recent improvements, it is nowhere near as good as other cities. It is often far more overcrowded and has less seating.

Another writer wrote correctly that Ealing College is 20 kms outside of the city. This is indeed true. Nearly 10 years ago the decision was taken to relocate all of the university campuses outside of the city.

This decision caused a major riot but eventually all towed the line. So teaching at Dalian Ealing College of any of the truly major universities is like teaching at the North Pole and saying that you live in Montreal. But hey, it is a question that you have asked beforehand.

That's happening in every major Chinese city; officials have got to get those urban land kickbacks, lol.

This is the most prosperous and most forward-looking city in an another antiquated province.

Maybe, but everyone feels that Dalian stayed frozen in time after Bo Xilai left.