My wife and I are frequent visitors to China. You will find the people some of the friendliest in the world. In fact, you will be amazed at how welcoming and accepting the Chinese are.

I have never worked there, but I know people who have taught in China, and they loved it.

Making friends in China is so easy it will surprise you. Ask for help, and they will immediately become your friend.

Don't worry too much about the language barrier. Many Chinese speak English in metropolitan areas. If you are moving to a rural area, you will have a more difficult time, but not impossible. I found many Chinese welcome the opportunity to practice their English.

Bring lots of cash. In rural areas especially, it will be very difficult to use credit cards and traveler's checks.

Most major hotels will have ATM machines, but plan on using credit cards in them, not debit cards.

And the communist thing? Don't worry about it. Any law-abiding person will have no issues of any kind. Actually, I found Capitalism alive and well in China. Everyone, it seems, owns their own little business. There are probably more small businesses in urban China per capita than in the US.