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They also left out Xinjiang, and while it doesn't have a Tier-1/Tier-2 city in it, if you want to see the diversity of China, Gansu or Xinjiang are good. Heavy

They also left out Xinjiang, and while it doesn't have a Tier-1/Tier-2 city in it, if you want to see the diversity of China, Gansu or Xinjiang are good. Heavy security, but radically different landscape, food, and ethnic culture, especially in the South. Oh, and less humid, blue skies, more breathable air. I spent the July 4th holiday week there (and yes, it is relatively safe). Nanning is also surprisingly upscale, after going to the rural areas of Guilin, I didn't expect Nanning to be so well developed. Shanghai is always my first love. Truly "mega", good infra, good food, etc.

seanmcdirmid 9y ago
I've been to Urumqi in 2006 and it wasn't that bad, a very standard Chinese city with some cool nightmarkets and mosques. There are no other mega cities to speak of, I haven't been to kashgar before. Nanning is pretty meh, but then so are most of the cities on this list :). Liuzhou is much more interesting, as it is stuck between Guilin and nanning both geographically and in feeling (big city with embedded karst mountains and not many tourists).
- cromwellian 9y ago
  I went to Yangshuo before Nanning, it's a little more confining and touristy but mostly Shanghainese, not Westerners. Turpan is like a cross between Urumqi and Kashgar, in the sense that it has a high uighur population, much more uighur culture and architecture, but still identifiably a Chinese city. Also, many Uighurs in that area tend to speak surprisingly good English, which is good because their Mandarin accent can be a bit thick, To me, when you get to Kashgar you start to feel more like you're Central Asia.
  - seanmcdirmid 9y ago
    Yangshuo has more westerners than other places. If you find yourself in gunagxi again, definitely check out liuzhou, it's Guilin's grittier twin. I'd like to visit Kashgar someday. Northern xinjiang was really nice to tour around also, except they didn't let me out of the van when we reached the khazakistan border (no foreigners allowed).
    - cromwellian 9y ago
      Yeah, you need a special permit now if you don't have a Chinese ID, even of you want to visit Koktokay, a recently added restriction. Our tourguide managed to hustle us in by promising he would bring us back to the gate upon leaving, proving that we had not crossed the border I guess. But he told us that was probably the last tour he ever does to Koktokay.

seanmcdirmid 9y ago

I've been to Urumqi in 2006 and it wasn't that bad, a very standard Chinese city with some cool nightmarkets and mosques. There are no other mega cities to speak of, I haven't been to kashgar before. Nanning is pretty meh, but then so are most of the cities on this list :). Liuzhou is much more interesting, as it is stuck between Guilin and nanning both geographically and in feeling (big city with embedded karst mountains and not many tourists).

cromwellian 9y ago
I went to Yangshuo before Nanning, it's a little more confining and touristy but mostly Shanghainese, not Westerners. Turpan is like a cross between Urumqi and Kashgar, in the sense that it has a high uighur population, much more uighur culture and architecture, but still identifiably a Chinese city. Also, many Uighurs in that area tend to speak surprisingly good English, which is good because their Mandarin accent can be a bit thick, To me, when you get to Kashgar you start to feel more like you're Central Asia.
- seanmcdirmid 9y ago
  Yangshuo has more westerners than other places. If you find yourself in gunagxi again, definitely check out liuzhou, it's Guilin's grittier twin. I'd like to visit Kashgar someday. Northern xinjiang was really nice to tour around also, except they didn't let me out of the van when we reached the khazakistan border (no foreigners allowed).
  - cromwellian 9y ago
    Yeah, you need a special permit now if you don't have a Chinese ID, even of you want to visit Koktokay, a recently added restriction. Our tourguide managed to hustle us in by promising he would bring us back to the gate upon leaving, proving that we had not crossed the border I guess. But he told us that was probably the last tour he ever does to Koktokay.