



Lanzhou. Source: wikipedia.org

Oftentimes, as foreigners living in one of China's larger, more metropolitan cities, it's easy to become spoiled by all of the little conveniences. In Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and their metropolitan ilk, we're spoiled by our Carl's Jr. hamburgers, our waiters who speak English, and our sweet, sweet watering holes where it's not unheard of to pay 50+ RMB for a gin and tonic.

Yet, for foreigners living in other cities in China, the picture isn't always quite as rosy. Granted, if you're looking for out-of-the-way and the nebulous "real" China experience, you probably won't even notice the absence of 24 hour sandwich delivery services at your disposal. But even then, the desolately bleak and faceless characteristics of many of these urban centres will be enough to drive any self-respecting laowai away. Here are five of the cities in China you'd only want to live in.

1) Lanzhou

China has many beautiful places. Lanzhou, an industrial city in Gansu Province, isn't one of them. Here, the pollution mixes with the naturally dusty features of the landscape, settling over the city in a warm, miasmic embrace of swirling toxic chemicals. The drab, uninviting landscape around the city matches nicely the light mud-brown colour of the Yellow River.

A good majority of roads in certain areas are in a state of constant disrepair or simply haven't been paved at all. Wandering around the city I had never gulped down so much pollution and dust in my entire life. By the time I reached my hotel after a day of sightseeing, I was panting and short of breath. If, for whatever tragic reason, you have your heart set on Lanzhou as your next home city, pack an extra pair of lungs.

2) Wulumuqi/Urumqi

The capital of China's far flung Xinjiang Province, Wulumuqi is peculiarly out of place in a sea of interesting and culturally unique cities in China's autonomous Uyghur region. Granted, it's the only place in Xinjiang were you are going to find a Carrefour, but if you're travelling so far out into Western China, you don't want to see a city simply transplanted from the east coast.

If you want to experience the real Uyghur culture, head to Kashgar or Turpan and see a wildly different side of Chinese life. Also, it should be noted, that when I went to Wulumuqi in April of 2011, the police presence in the city was palpable. It was not uncommon to see several armed soldiers patrolling the streets keeping the king's peace. Nothing serious happened mind you, but the ever-present sense of potential violence was quite unnerving.

3) Lhasa

While Lhasa does have some amazing cultural heritage sites like the Potala Palace, Sera Monastery, and Jokhang Temple… that's about all it has going for it. Unlike the surrounding countryside, the city is not overtly beautiful or memorable outside of the big attractions. The city suffers from the same problem as Wulumuqi for being transformed into a city from the east coast of China.

Also, like Wulumuqi, Lhasa suffers from various political tensions that can make life significantly more difficult for foreigners. In addition to your normal passport, you will need special permits just to travel there, making living there a nigh-Herculean task. The extra headaches (or is it the altitude sickness?) on top of the already painful process of acquiring visas in China make Lhasa simply not worth the effort.

4) Daqing

It is well-known that Daqing and the rest of Heilongjiang Province have some of the most soul-crushing winters in all of China. Depending on how far away your home country is away from the equator, this may or may not be an issue. Daqing regularly faces upwards of -30 degrees Celsius during the coldest months in winter. During the summer months, Daqing becomes slightly more tolerable, which is a little like saying a hangover is more tolerable than the preceding night of vomiting.

Unlike its more famous cousin, Harbin, Daqing doesn't offer the same amenities that foreigners can expect to find in China's first and second tier cities. Also, Harbin has more famous attractions and holidays, most notably the Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival. Daqing does have its own ice festivities, but if you're going to suffer through sub-zero temperatures, you may as well do it seeing the biggest and best the region has to offer.

5) Fuzhou

When I stepped outside of the Fuzhou train station last year, I felt an overwhelming sense of apathy. In China, I had seen cities like Fuzhou a hundred times. It's not that Fuzhou is a bad city per se. In fact, it's just your typical middle-of-the-road second tier city. But if you're going to move halfway across the world to live in China, you'll want to do a little bit better than "meh, it's okay".

In addition, because Fuzhou decided to specialise in inconvenience, the city is both not quite big enough for a well-developed public transportation system and simultaneously not quite small enough to get everywhere on a bicycle. With no metro system, you'll have to depend on the overcrowded buses or taxis to ferry you to and from various points in the city.

Finally, Fuzhou suffers from what you might call "location issues." The problem with Fuzhou lies in the fact that it is upstaged by its popular and more relaxing coastal cousin, Xiamen. The two cities may be only a couple hours apart physically, but they're leagues apart in terms of lifestyle. So, if you're planning to move all the way to Fujian Province, skip right past boring Fuzhou and head to the beautiful beaches of Xiamen instead.

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Keywords: worst cities in China where not to live in China Chinese cities to avoid bad places to live in china