Culture-rich Chengdu is already on international travellers’ radars, thanks to temples, teahouses and fiery Sichuan cuisine. The city’s strong international job market, expanding public transport links and relatively liberal mindset are also turning the heads of potential expats.
When you aren’t exploring the coffee and craft beer scenes, or testing your tolerance for mouth-tingling peppercorns, the city’s a brilliant launch pad for travel; strike out for the panda research centre in Ya’an or Taoist spiritual nexus Qīngchéng Shān. Language skills are crucial in the long term, but there’s a lively expat community to ease Anglophones in.