Top 5 favorites cities in CHINA... (place, people, culture, population)
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You have to list then and say WHY you liked them. Also mark if you've been there (and like it), or you want to go there (because you think you'd like it)...and why.
Xiamen: good size for me (not so big, not so small), have international connections, coastal city (like it near the sea), on an island with some beaches, clean air (compared to other places in China). Advantage specifically for me only: can speak/understand the local dialect and used to the food from this area
Hangzhou: not a super large city; historical place with a beautiful lake and wonderful views
Shanghai: it is a bit too big for my preference, but is the most international and cosmopolitan city in China. That alone makes it rank higher. Problem is it is really very crowded everywhere.
Suzhou: similar to Hangzhou, but ranked here because its airport has way fewer flights (relying more on Shanghai for international flights), the canals and gardens are beautiful but parts of the city looks a bit too old and shabby with fewer places that look clean and modern compared to Hangzhou
Beijing: crowded with bad air quality, but its status as the national capital makes it a national priority to pour resources to improve it. There are far more historical attractions here than elsewhere in China (which Shanghai lacks) and is second only to Shanghai when it comes to being cosmopolitan.
Other cities I rank closely (6 to 10?):
Xi'an: very historical city, but because the Qin, Han, Sui and Tang dynasties are all more than a thousand years ago, there are fewer sites left compared to Beijing. It is also too far inland for me.
Guangzhou and Shenzhen: ranked higher just because of their proximity to Hong Kong, which means it's easier to get anything you cannot find in the mainland from Hong Kong... Such things as being able to have uncensored Internet can be obtained in Hong Kong
Qingdao and Dalian: both nice, but both are too cold in winter for me. And also far less international presence (except maybe Japanese and Korean) compared to the other cities above, with me having a problem at times paying with my foreign issued credit cards at a couple of stores in both cities, probably because there are fewer foreigners/tourists who would go to those stores. Never got that problem anywhere in Shanghai.
Been to all the cities above. The other major cities I have not visited and think might like are Nanjing, Chengdu and Chongqing. However, I don't expect any of these 3 to be in the top 5.
Xiamen: good size for me (not so big, not so small), have international connections, coastal city (like it near the sea), on an island with some beaches, clean air (compared to other places in China). Advantage specifically for me only: can speak/understand the local dialect and used to the food from this area
Hangzhou: not a super large city; historical place with a beautiful lake and wonderful views
Shanghai: it is a bit too big for my preference, but is the most international and cosmopolitan city in China. That alone makes it rank higher. Problem is it is really very crowded everywhere.
Suzhou: similar to Hangzhou, but ranked here because its airport has way fewer flights (relying more on Shanghai for international flights), the canals and gardens are beautiful but parts of the city looks a bit too old and shabby with fewer places that look clean and modern compared to Hangzhou
Beijing: crowded with bad air quality, but its status as the national capital makes it a national priority to pour resources to improve it. There are far more historical attractions here than elsewhere in China (which Shanghai lacks) and is second only to Shanghai when it comes to being cosmopolitan.
Other cities I rank closely (6 to 10?):
Xi'an: very historical city, but because the Qin, Han, Sui and Tang dynasties are all more than a thousand years ago, there are fewer sites left compared to Beijing. It is also too far inland for me.
Guangzhou and Shenzhen: ranked higher just because of their proximity to Hong Kong, which means it's easier to get anything you cannot find in the mainland from Hong Kong... Such things as being able to have uncensored Internet can be obtained in Hong Kong
Qingdao and Dalian: both nice, but both are too cold in winter for me. And also far less international presence (except maybe Japanese and Korean) compared to the other cities above, with me having a problem at times paying with my foreign issued credit cards at a couple of stores in both cities, probably because there are fewer foreigners/tourists who would go to those stores. Never got that problem anywhere in Shanghai.
Been to all the cities above. The other major cities I have not visited and think might like are Nanjing, Chengdu and Chongqing. However, I don't expect any of these 3 to be in the top 5.
Have you been to Wuhan? If so, what did you think of it?
Been to all the cities above. The other major cities I have not visited and think might like are Nanjing, Chengdu and Chongqing. However, I don't expect any of these 3 to be in the top 5.
Chengdu and Chongqing are very popular tourist destinations in recent years. They can be top 5 in many people's opinion.
Their culture is kind of unique, compared to other major Chinese cities.
Nanjing is good too, similar to Hangzhou and Suzhou.
Have you been to Wuhan? If so, what did you think of it?
Haven't been to Wuhan. Just from reading and seeing photos of it, if compared to US cities, I would think it's most similar to Pittsburgh, which isn't among my top favorite cities.
Haven't been to Wuhan. Just from reading and seeing photos of it, if compared to US cities, I would think it's most similar to Pittsburgh, which isn't among my top favorite cities.
Dang! Honestly, Pittsburgh is one of my favorite American cities as well - and very few people would say that (except for those that have been there).
That makes me curious about Wuhan! What makes it similar to Pittsburgh?
I've always though Chongqing had Pittsburgh-like qualities with the hills and such.
Last edited by Tiger Beer; 06-13-2019 at 08:37 PM..
Dang! Honestly, Pittsburgh is one of my favorite American cities as well - and very few people would say that (except for those that have been there).
That makes me curious about Wuhan! What makes it similar to Pittsburgh?
I've always though Chongqing had Pittsburgh-like qualities with the hills and such.
Wuhan is at the confluence of the Hanshui and Yangtze rivers. Pittsburgh is where the Allegheny and the Monongahela merges to become the Ohio River. Chongqing is also where the Jialing River meets the Yangtze. All three cities are "river" cities.
I haven't been to Wuhan or Chongqing, so am not very sure how similar they actually are. Wuhan is probably flatter than Pittsburgh, but when I read that its top tourist attraction is Yellow Crane Tower situated on top of Snake Hill, it reminds me of Mount Washington in Pittsburgh where one can get a good view of the rivers and the skyline. Another similarity is Wuhan has some reputable universities, and it has a higher proportion of college students among its population than other cities. Same with Pittsburgh, but both are too big to be called "college towns".
Xiamen: good size for me (not so big, not so small), have international connections, coastal city (like it near the sea), on an island with some beaches, clean air (compared to other places in China). Advantage specifically for me only: can speak/understand the local dialect and used to the food from this area
Hangzhou: not a super large city; historical place with a beautiful lake and wonderful views
Shanghai: it is a bit too big for my preference, but is the most international and cosmopolitan city in China. That alone makes it rank higher. Problem is it is really very crowded everywhere.
Suzhou: similar to Hangzhou, but ranked here because its airport has way fewer flights (relying more on Shanghai for international flights), the canals and gardens are beautiful but parts of the city looks a bit too old and shabby with fewer places that look clean and modern compared to Hangzhou
Beijing: crowded with bad air quality, but its status as the national capital makes it a national priority to pour resources to improve it. There are far more historical attractions here than elsewhere in China (which Shanghai lacks) and is second only to Shanghai when it comes to being cosmopolitan.
Other cities I rank closely (6 to 10?):
Xi'an: very historical city, but because the Qin, Han, Sui and Tang dynasties are all more than a thousand years ago, there are fewer sites left compared to Beijing. It is also too far inland for me.
Guangzhou and Shenzhen: ranked higher just because of their proximity to Hong Kong, which means it's easier to get anything you cannot find in the mainland from Hong Kong... Such things as being able to have uncensored Internet can be obtained in Hong Kong
Qingdao and Dalian: both nice, but both are too cold in winter for me. And also far less international presence (except maybe Japanese and Korean) compared to the other cities above, with me having a problem at times paying with my foreign issued credit cards at a couple of stores in both cities, probably because there are fewer foreigners/tourists who would go to those stores. Never got that problem anywhere in Shanghai.
Been to all the cities above. The other major cities I have not visited and think might like are Nanjing, Chengdu and Chongqing. However, I don't expect any of these 3 to be in the top 5.
That's a really good list. My comments on each of the cities you mentioned, generated to create more discussion:
XIAMEN: I've yet to visit Xiamen, but have some good long-term friends who are long-term China Expats, and they absolutely love Xiamen. It seems to be one of those relatively unknown cities that has something special going on among expats.
SHANGHAI: I've been there twice, and only spent time in and around the Bund. I was watching some other expat videos of a guy who'd been living there and complaining that he'd never been to the Bund, and the first time he went, he had a lot of Chinese tourists taking pictures of him. It made me laugh because that was my experience in the Bund as well. Many of those rural Chinese guys pulling up their white shirts to expose their overweight belly. So when the Shanghai expat differianted the Bund from the rest of Shanghai, it makes me realize I really need to get back to Shanghai again and see more of the city outside of the Bund!!!
I'm going to go back to your list and do more comments, but I'm hoping to generate a bit of discussion Xiamen & Shanghai first, and then I'm going back to those other interesting cities on the list
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So when the Shanghai expat differianted the Bund from the rest of Shanghai, it makes me realize I really need to get back to Shanghai again and see more of the city outside of the Bund!!!
