Go back and find some of Hulk's comments on Changsha. He is not active on the site the last weeks. I have family there, so go once in w while. It's not a bad city, but I think during the weeks I have walked the streets, I may have only seen a handful of foreigners. Imported food sections in supermarkets seems to almost not exist. 

Depends on what you like. 

Its peaceful and quiet.  folks here like foreigners.difficulty  or lets say 30% possibility to find your foreign food ingredients. 

Not that difficult to find foreign foods at all. There is a walmart, rt and hyper mart all on Wanjiali rd, a Metro cash and carry nearby selling lots of imported goods. A little on the pricey side though.

There are a lot of universities here in Changsha, mostly based around the base of Yuelu mountain. A few good bars and nightclubs if you are into that kind of thing.

The city itself is a bit boring, the usual concrete infrastructure everywhere you look. However if you explore hard enough like a friend of mine and I, then you can find some really nice treats in the form of some well preserved parks or even man made lakes... etc.

Locals are friendly, and everyone wants to know more about us. It is true about the limited amount of foreigners here. Walk the streets during the day, and you are unlikely to see or hear another western accent let alone see another foreign face (unless you are lucky enough to work together) but that is all part of the experience. If you get really desperate however, then there is a facebook page called "Whats new in Changsha". They often discuss meetings and bbq's. I have not attended any myself, but there do happen, usually around Martyrs Park.

The food here is really spicy, something to do with the locals thinking its cold here, even in the summer. I think they are all a little crazy. So you will soon grow an appreciation of boring staple foods like rice and potatoes. If you don't know how to cook for yourself, you should learn. I see a lot of people asking what is a good way of losing weight in China. Easy, move to Changsha. There are a lot of McDonalds here, and I have heard rumours of a subway as well, but by all accounts it has closed down now. Plenty of street vendors selling food & all. But if you value your stomach and your arse, steer clear of them.

There are a lot of taxis here, and a decent enough bus network. But what might take ten or fifteen minutes in the morning, can and will turn into something like two hours in the evening time. Buses will pull up further down the road to let people off, and then drive right past the bus stop. Crammed in like sardines. Can feel like ovens on a hot day, and stink because nobody know what deoderant is. Don't get into an unmarked taxi,  you are playing with your life when you use one of the many taxi scooters that try to kill us at bus stops as we get off the bus and you don't whether it is phlegm or water you just slipped in, in the middle isle. Best assuming it is spit, as almost every old many and woman honks one up on the bus.

All in all, Changsha is a death trap full of many pitfalls and can go from one extreme to the other in terms of what is right, to what should be right. But then I suppose a lot of China is like that. This is my first city to live in, I have only been in the country for eight weeks, and yet I am loving every minute of my time here.

If you do come to Changsha, then look me up if you like. Cheery byes.

It really depends on what you are looking for and what type of lifestyle you are accustomed to. I've been in Changsha over three years, and really enjoy the city, but I also use it as a spring board to explore Hunan province and the surrounding areas.  North Hunan has some of the most spectacular scenery in the world, especially around Jiang Jia Jie (a World Heritage Site). Also, there is the ancient town of Feng Huang and Nan Yue Temple complex on Heng Shan, which is one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in China. Lots of other interesting places in Hunan.

But, back to the city. Although some users here would differ (Hulk comes to mind), I've never had any problem with anyone here in Changsha. People are friendly and a bit curious as a general rule, so you will be stared at a bit. A lot of the "westerners" live on the Yuelu District side of the river, where most of the universities are. On that side, there are a few western style coffee cafes, and a lot of people go there for English corners and such. There are some good, low to moderately priced resturants around the entrance to Yuelu Mountain that serve some excellent local dishes. Also, on the same street is a "mom and pop" bookstore that has small selection of English books.

You'll find lots of entertainment on the other side of the river downtown. There is a nice expat bar in the bar district  by the Walking Street (which features lots and lots of shops, both on the street and inside the malls), off of Wuyi Rd. called Hooligans, and is owned and operated by an American. Nice place to meet and have a drink or two, or three. Changsha also has a lot of movie theaters, as well as Wal-Mart, Carrefour, and Metro. Metro is a little expensive, but has the best selection of imported goods and quality of meat and such, but I have just read that they will open a second Metro sometime in the near future. The first on is located on Si Fang Ping Rd.

Changsha has a lot of parks to get out in, one of the biggest is off of Yingpan and Yingbin Rd, called Lie Shi Gong Yuan (the Martyr's Park), and features lots of pathways, a large lake, as well as an amusement park. If you like books, head on down to Ding Wan Tai (four floors of books, DVD's, and Computer software) at the corner of Furong Rd and Jie Fang Rd. There are some excellent restaurants in town, but most of them serve local dishes. Changsha food is spicy, however, there is a wide variety of dishes available. Unfortunately, Changsha doesn't really have a good western style steak house, but you can find a few places that do steak "okay."

Your experience will be determined by where you live and who you work for. I'm more towards the city center, and I can be anywhere in a fifteen minute walk (which I prefer), but there are plenty of buses and taxis if you like that type of thing instead. Food and clothing is generally cheap in Changsha, but like most places in China, inflation has hit in the last year or two. One of of the things I like most about the city is sitting out in the summer eating "night food" at one of the local places, watching the people go by. Folks in Changsha like to get out in the evening, and the bars and clubs rarely have a crowd before 9pm.

All in all, Changsha is large enough to where you can get just about anything you want, but small enough that you are not overwhelmed. Air quality is generally good, although there are some days where it is bad, especially in the summer. Hunan province seems to have two seasons; hot and cold, with a brief time of cool in between. Summer sees a lot of rain, being a semi-tropical climate. If you don't mind that, you'll get along fine. 

Hope this helps. Ganbei!   

Double post.

Yes it is. It is very peaceful. You can enjoy your holidays and weekends going to the parks or shopping malls. Everything is affordable. People are friendly. And the dogs don't bite! (!

"I may have only seen a handful of foreigners. Imported food sections in supermarkets seems to almost not exist."

This is why I like Changsha (that and the local people!) - Why go to China to eat food from home?

Haven't been there yet...Hot weather, food and women they say..

Let the good times roll on.