| I'm Indonesian-Chinese who just finished my undergrad education in US. I can speak and understand mandarin but I need to learn how to write and read. I've been thinking of going to China to learn Mandarin but can't decide if I should go to Shanghai or Guangzhou. Which place would be better for learning? I know Guangzhou is definitely cheaper in many aspects as compared to Shanghai but what I heard from my Chinese friends, hygiene is a lot worse in Guangzhou than Shanghai. Is that true? I'm really picky about cleanliness and would very much like a nice, clean place to spend a year in. Also, what I understand is that because Guangzhou is very close to Hongkong, the main language that people use is mostly Cantonese, so would it be very hard for someone who doesn't have any knowledge in Cantonese to survive there? Or Mandarin is equally important there too? |