You're very welcome! I wrote this a while ago, so I'm glad to know that it's still applicable.

Thanks, Dan, for your encouraging comment! Everything on this post was collected "third hand" via the web. When I met people on the ground in Chengdu I was able to get a bit of "second hand" feedback from people who have lived there.

Here are some gotchas:

Preferential reduced taxes typically can only be actually awarded if you are a large multinational technology company, like Intel, which has large unit in Chengdu.

One guy who lived in Chengdu for about 10 years commented sarcastically about the New Tianfu City, saying that officials tout big new projects like that but it may never happen.

Also, someone said that software conferences are all fluff and very little actual knowledge transfer or quality networking occurs.

Regarding my comment on TechHui about the incubation center ... the Chengdu High Tech Zone Innovation Service Center incubates about 600 companies, mostly software related. In 2006, they brought in 45 European software startups and have since been disappointed when those companies didn't grow as fast as they wanted and weren't interacting with local companies very much. They expect that a company starting with 5 employees should have 50 by the end of the first year and 200 by the end of the second. My friends met up with the incubator officials about perhaps getting office space in their incubation center. But after hearing the incubator's expectation, they felt it wasn't a fit for their startup. Probably not a good fit for mine either.

Annie, Nate and Auntie Isadora: thanks for your encouraging comments! Auntie Isa, were you pregnant with Haydn when you first arrived in Hawaii?

Thanks, Chenling. We are glad, too, to have found Dr. Xiao. See you in the fall!

haha, maybe a bit ... but it was just a little poke.

Hey Kristi! It's been an adventure, for sure. How are you guys doing?

Hi Corinna, I don't think there is a contract length. I have recently left Japan and just canceled my account. I think the confirmation message said that they would still charge me for next month though. Oh well.

Thanks for the comment, Chaz. I'm glad it was helpful. Thanks for the clarification on the promo codes. I don't think there is a Yodobashi in Hamamatsu where I was at the time I needed the wifi. Now I'm in China where the Internet speed is super slow compared to Japan.

Thanks, Charlie!

You're right, the expatistan.com doesn't seem to have enough data to make valid claims. This website seems to have a LOT more data:
http://www.tefl.com/home/col_survey.html?ci_id=14...