I am having a slight break from MGTOW stuff right now so thought I'd throw my two cents worth in: I have also lived in and spent a fair bit of time in Dongbei, albeit certainly not recently.

To me, Dalian was nothing special, but there are far worse places to live in China. Personally I don't like bitter winters and a lack of sunshine. I found Dalian was quite cold, even in mid October, but Changchun is generally much colder. Chinese cuisine in Dongbei is actually pretty good compared to a lot of southern provinces. You can also actually find a few really good bakeries and coffee shops up there also. I m not talking about crappy Starbucks, which were popping up like mushrooms in southern China when I left in early August 2015.

Some people suffer from SAD ( Seasonal Affective Disorder ) and suffer severe depression in gloomy, cold, and cloudy climates. This is a real illness, which I think I may actually have but I have not been diagnosed with it. People suffering from this condition should NOT live in places like Changchun, Dalian, or Shenyang. Wuhan, which is in central China is also extremely cold, cloudy, and uncomfortable in winter.

I'd like to point out also that I've endured some shocking winters even in Nanning and Guilin. Nanning can be awful in January and even into early March. The high humidity and rain at that time can make the place very cold, clammy, and extremely uncomfortable. Most places have no heating. South west Guangxi and Guangdong are crap in the winter months. So it's not just Dongbei with a "climate problem".

You mentioned that there are quite a few eastern European women, Ukranian women etc in Dongbei in another post. Eastern European women are not my thing, but whatever puts a smile on your dial. As for Japanese and Korean women, if there are a more than a few of them up for regular casual sex that is a good incentive to move to a place if you are a foreigner IMO. They are clean, and great in bed, unlike many Chinese gals. Taken just on face value Chinese women in Dongbei appear to be more genuine and friendly than their southern counterparts. They are also taller and generally a lot better looking. Hypergamy ( Chinese women really act on their hypergamy instinct ) and the entitlement mentality mostly rule however.

I agree with you that it's better to avoid Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou if one really has an urge to live in China. Yes, expensive, pretentious, full of arrogant snobs ( Chinese and laowai )

For those who want a tropical climate and fun loving and very open minded women, yes, avoid China. Go to Thailand or the Philippines. You will be much better off.