Hey Jotari, funny I should get this topic in my inbox. I haven't been a regular Serenes Forest user in a good six years plus, but I'm an American living in China right now, in Hunan province. Don't believe any of the bad stuff people are saying here. Life in China has its disadvantages, certainly, but they're just repeating overblown fear-mongering nonsense they heard in the media, from old people, or from borderline shut-in coworkers.
Take it easy. Suzhou is a very nice place, full of rich people. It's a big tourist destination, should be a fun place to spend some time. Air pollution ain't a scratch on Shanghai, and certainly can't compare to Hangzhou. Make as many friends as you can in the beginning, they'll be useful. Enjoy nights out on the town, enjoy the abundant street food, enjoy the water villages in the countryside, and soak in what you can of the diversity of people who come to that destination city from all over China. Save up money for when you head back from the US, or else spend it on something stupid like an extended international vacation or a car. Either way, you shouldn't have regrets. In the meantime, take your time finding yourself the nicest apartment you can, and buy a motorcycle or electric scooter. You'll get to know the city a lot more intimately that way and it'll pay for itself ten times over.
You need a really thick skin and solid bullshit filter to thrive as a non-Chinese-looking expat in China. The average guy on the street may say he highly esteems "foreigners”, but it doesn't matter how fluent your Chinese is, you'll be the mark for every con or scam and you won't get any kind of customer service or polite treatment unless you assertively demand it. SJW-type whining about discrimination and fairness won't get you anything here. The same principle applies to your employer, especially if you're working for a Chinese company. Do your job well, but don't expect favors from anyone and don't do extra work for free. If you were able to get the company to shell out for a legitimate work visa, you have a very highly valued skill and with it some intrinsic leverage, use that to your advantage. Nothing pains me more than seeing naive people getting conned by their employers. But the refreshing thing about China is that if you demand respect and actually deserve it, you will get it, no need for empty self-promotion or backstabbing. Modesty (after a fashion) is still considered a virtue here.
One last note: Learn Chinese! Don't let anybody convince you it's too hard. Serious and committed studying for a solid hour or two every day can get you to the HSK 4 level (equivalent to IELTS 5 or CEFR level B2) in a year. I know people who've done it even while working full time. And that might be conversational, but it's really only the beginning. Study, study, study. The more standard Chinese you can speak, the better your life in China will be. Chinese people will laugh at you extensively, but they respect people who learn their language. Most non-Chinese never bother, or never make more than a halfhearted effort. Just be sure to get started learning the characters right from the beginning, spoken Chinese is only ten percent as useful as it would otherwise be if you're illiterate.
Anyway, this is a subject I could go on about for a long time, but I probably ought to cut it short. If you have any questions at all about being an expat in China, shoot me a PM. And especially if you ever happen by Changsha, we can get a beer and some spicy crayfish.