Since it has been raining for two days straight and I’m holed up in my apartment, I thought it would be fun to do something completely useless and counter-productive, like compile a bunch of Top 5 lists concerning Chinese cities.
Before going off on me for ignoring your hometown/temporary hometown, consider:
1) I’m only including cities I have visited or been through. Unlike countless people around me, I do not have that special ability to debate the pros and cons of places I have never even seen.
2) I’m only including major cities.
So, here goes:
Most Relaxed
1) Haikou
2) Kunming
3) Hangzhou
4) Chengdu
5) Qingdao
Most Overwhelmingly Busy
1) Chongqing
2) Beijing
3) Jinan
4) Shanghai
5) Wuhan
Best Air Quality
1) Kunming
2) Haikou/Sanya (Hainan tie)
3) Guilin
4) Nanning
5) Qingdao
Worst Air Quality (you are there, but I can’t see you)
1) Zibo (special mention)
2) Chongqing
3) Jinan
4) Chengdu
5) Beijing
Most Overrated
1) Shanghai
2) Guilin
3) Chengdu
4) Hangzhou
5) Beijing
Places I want to visit:
1) Hong Kong
2) Any city in Dongbei
3) Urumqi
4) Nanjing
5) Guiyang
Places I don’t really want to visit:
1) Shenzhen
2) Guangzhou
3) Zhengzhou
4) Shijiazhuang
5) Macau
Most “Is this China?”
1) Shanghai
2) Beijing
3) Kunming
4) Qingdao
5) Hangzhou
Most Character
1) Chongqing
2) Qingdao
3) Kunming
4) Hangzhou
5) Jinan
Most mind-numbingly soulless urban planning
1) multiple-way tie between ever mid-sized city in the country
2) Chengdu
3) Beijing
4) Shanghai
5) an increasing chunk of Hangzhou
Most Orderly Traffic
1) Shanghai
2) Kunming
3) Qingdao
4) Chengdu
5) Guilin
Most Chaotic Roads
1) Jinan (too much of everything)
2) Nanning (too many scooters)
3) Chongqing (too many buses)
4) Hangzhou (too much bad driving)
5) Beijing (too many cars)
Most Smiles
1) Jinghong, Xishuangbanna (special mention)
2) Kunming
3) Haikou
4) Jinan
5) Qingdao
Most Frowns
1) Shanghai
2) Chengdu
3) Chongqing
4) Beijing
5) Hangzhou
Most Attractive Women
1) Chengdu
2) Chongqing
3) Hangzhou
4) Shanghai
5) Jinan
Most conspicuous lack of foreigners considering their populations
1) Nanning
2) Chongqing
3) Jinan
4) Chengdu
5) Hangzhou
Most Surly Foreigners
1) Shanghai
2) Beijing
3) Qingdao
4) Sanya
5) Any major airport and its surroundings
Best Street Food/Late Night Eating
1) Chengdu (everything)
2) Chongqing (hot pot)
3) Hangzhou (noodles)
4) Jinan (draft beer stalls)
5) Beijing (anything)
Best Overall Vibe
1) Kunming
2) Hangzhou
3) Qingdao
4) Chongqing
5) Beijing