I have never been to Xiamen but have lived in Ningbo for over 2 years. Compared to Canadian cites Ningbo is big and is growing at an insane pace making for lots of oppourtunity not only in teaching but other areas aswell. Ningbo also has a large foreign population. Someone said it was dirty, in fact it is one of the cleanst in China. The climate is good not much different from Xiamen a little cooler in winter but still no snow and hot sticky humid in summer easily braking 30 degrees. Another good thing about Ningbo is it's location. It's in the Yangtze river delta. It's not far from Shanghai, hangzhou even Suzhou giving you plenty to see during free time. From a fellow Canadian to another if I had to choose it would be Ningbo for sure. The people are great the seafood is amazing and there are lots of western influences if you ever long for a taste of home!