Yo

I've been in China for over 4 years and travelled to almost all of China's biggest cities. I know most people only know about Beijing and Shanghai, but trust me, China has plenty more of such cities that make New York look like a countryside village.

The 7 cities I have been to (according to population) are as follows: Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Qingdao, Xi'an. I will now rank them from best to worst based on my overall experience in the city. These are my personal opinions. The video goes into much more detail on my ranking. This blog post will give you the jist for all of you that are allergic to viewing other people's content.

#1: Xi'an

Pros: Awesome food, lots of history and a perfect blend of traditional and modern architecture.

Cons: None

#2: Chengdu

Pros: See above pros.

Cons: Everything is spicy. While I like spicy food, I don't like it that much where I have to eat it all the time like the people do here. The food in Xi'an is better IMO.

#3: Qingdao

Pros: Great beer. Nice beaches and very laid back. Feels a lot like my city (Qinhuangdao) and even has a similar sounding name.

Cons: A little too laid back. I guess it didn't make as much of an impression on me as the other 2 cities.

#4: Beijing

Pros: Lots of history and culture. I love the hutongs (small traditional alleyways). Lots of great foreign food.

Cons: Local Beijing food isn't that good. Can get pretty polluted.

#5: Shanghai

Pros: Super cool looking city. Pretty much has everything. Very easy to live in if you don't speak Chinese. A lot of action happens here. Many business opportunities.

Cons: Big megacity so it makes it more difficult to just chill and make friends with people. Not so laid back. Lots of hustle and bustle.

#6: Tianjin

Pros: Big city with all the amenities. Very cool looking at night and it looks extremely clean and modern. Lots of foreign food. A lot of European influence in the architecture.

Cons: Local Tianjin food isn't very good IMO. It's also quite boring. Whenever I go there, I feel like I have too much time to kill and am just wandering around excessively.

#7: Guangzhou

Pros: Futuristic city. Has all the amenities you can ask for. Very international and lots of foreigners live there. It is very easy to live in if you can't speak Chinese. Many people come here for business.

Cons: The most Xenophobic Chinese people I have ever come across. It seems like Chinese people in Guangdong province really don't like foreigners. I feel much more welcome in other cities in China. In Guangzhou, I feel like people don't want to associate themselves with foreigners and just want to stick to their own kind. Lots of rude and annoying people.

And there you have it folks. Lots of great cities to live in. I could happily live in any of the above cities, except for Guangzhou. That's just me though. There are plenty of foreigners that live there. Bear in mind that these are only the biggest cities I have travelled to. I have also been to many other smaller cities as well.