Where's a country aussie to live in china??

Yes, the pollutions in china are getting worse,most of the cities are facing the problem,In the big cities like BJ ,shanghai you have more opportunities to find a teaching job at same time you will have to breath the so called mineral air every day, and fight the noisy environments.
A teaching job while enjoying a laidback lifestyle?I am afraid that we are not having a relxed life in most of the big chinese cities because of the fast developments.But I believe there are some places that may meet your need.
Firstly,some cities by the sea.I have been to zhuhai and dalian before,which impressed me with relative relaxations and nice air,especially zhuhai,a city close to shenzhen and macau,quite some white collars in shenzhen choose residence in there because it is more liveable city.Dalian is more active town attributable to the tourism(russian travellers love it very much),a clean city with architechtures of european styles.Sanya is not bad place though it seem to interest russian vacationers only,maybe it is too touristy,ignore it.
Secondly,some cities on second or third rank.They are not as hustle as the big ones but the demands for english teachers are same as high,the living cost will be less expensive.I believe that more and more foreign teachers are looking for such places,it takes lots of research.My suggestion is to narrow down to the cities along the coast in hainan if you like the tropical weather or to the province like Qinghai that has been underrated ,if you enjoy the plateau and lakes.THe disadvantage,I presume,is the pay in the areas,but it depends.
China is a too different country from the west,as the economy booms,you may find everything is geared up,you will be breathless to tackle the situation ,but on the other hand,you might be well suited soon,because you come from different country,to deal with things differently.

Consider Fujian province,they say it is most warm hearted region in china but I have never been there before,maybe it is a rumour,maybe not.The people from there seem more dynamic ,more ambitious ,more gentle(even though you may come across some laud speaking guys),since it is coastal province,you could turn attention to the other cities in the area.There is a beautiful mountain in the north of the it called wuyi,the tourism TV is promoting it to say it trump any other mountains in china.

Take it from a fellow Aussie: you want to come to Yunnan. It's by far the best blend of nature and modernity available. You've got Tibet and the tropics all within one province, great food, an increasing international significance, and great people.

Its economy can easily sustain a comfortable lifestyle and reasonable pay for skilled teachers, too. There's a solid and international foreign community, big enough to meet new interesting people, but small enough so everyone's sort of loosely connected friends.

Right now the fourth largest international airport in China is being built here in the capital, Kunming, though direct flights to South and Southeast Asia already exist. There's also discussion about re-opening the old wartime road to India through Burma, which will be the most significant trading connection to South Asia in the whole of China.

Come check it out, it's a great part of China.

The best I've yet visited, too (out of Yunnan, Guangxi, Guizhou, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Henan, Hebei, Shandong, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Beijing, Shanxi, and probably some others...).

I second Zhuhai, GD. Great coastal city - relatively clean; air not too bad most of the time. Downside is the high humidity in summer. Yunnan would be better there; upside is proximity to HK & Macau for when China gets too much.