Few cities in China are like Dalian. Blessed with a hospitable climate and long experience with foreigners, this is an easy place to live. Make sure that's what you're looking for, though. Here's a few things you ought to consider before moving in:Around my second week in Dalian, I was having dinner with a fellow California exile at a little barbecue place on Heishijiao, when my friend looked up from a slice of beef dangling off her chopsticks to ask a question that's been on my mind ever since: "Can anybody live here?" We chewed on the idea for a half hour or so, longer than we did with the meat. What we reasoned out is this: Any Westerner who is willing to live abroad for an extended period will do fine here. Certainly anyone who can live in China can handle Dalian. The challenges lie in being far from home, living among people who speak a different language, and dealing with a different culture. You won't suffer much from going without. Some things to consider, before coming to Dalian: = This is a major city of six million people, even if the Chinese call it "second tier." It is neither backwater nor pre-modern. On my street alone, in a quiet neighborhood 40 minutes by bus from downtown, there is a KFC, McDonald's, Subway, a major Chinese supermarket, two coffee shops and a Japanese restaurant. The city is somewhat isolated, but that adds to its options. My friend Ryan, a former Dalian blogger now in Suzhou, told me on a recent visit that Dalian tends to have everything it needs, because it doesn't have Shanghai just down the river (like Suzhou) to fill unmet needs. Foreign foods are available at Metro and Carrefour, and almost anything can be gotten for the right price and some searching. = There are diverse and disparate communities of foreigners in the city, with regular gatherings and sports leagues and meet-up events. Korean, Japanese and Russian communities thrive in Dalian, too. = Dalian is one of the cleanest cities in China. Coastal winds and a focus on high tech and software industries leave the sky far bluer than anything you'll find in Beijing or Shenyang. "In China" is a caveat, though. Trash floats around waiting to be swept up by orange-clad city janitors, and popular night spots look like the aftermath of a natural disaster the morning after, the ground covered in barbecue sticks and half-burned piles of garbage. = You can survive with very little Chinese. You absolutely should learn the language, but many expats get by without speaking a sentence, especially if they have helpful Chinese friends or coworkers. Major businesses almost invariably have people around with functional English. True, lacking communication will dampen your experience, and more so the longer you're here (in China and in Dalian) but it's easy enough to get through a year on "nihao" and "xie xie." Dalian could be described as "China for beginners." The city has plenty to offer if you want to dig deeper and get past the expat bars and English-speaking crowd, but easy living is accessible even if you're a short-termer. (Author's note: This post is part of a group writing project for the Lost Laowai blog. More information on the project is available here.)