Quote: (06-18-2017 01:01 PM)boss13 Wrote:
Quote: (06-18-2017 11:22 AM)Laserspewpew Wrote:
I generally break down the Tier two cities into:
Tier One suburbs; Hangzhou, Suzhou, Tianjin and Dongguan
Livable regional capitals; Chengdu, Chongqing, Harbin, Dalian, Xian, Nanjing and Qingdao
Unlivable regional capitals: Wuhan, Shenyang, Jinan, Zhengzhou
How so?
It's very subjective. If you are in a suburb of a Tier 1 it is a major bonus in terms of being closer to some Western comforts and a real international airport. Hangzhou and Suzhou are both nice cities in their own right and somewhat commutable to Shanghai. Tianjin is ugly but is extremely well developed for a "Tier 2" some people class it as a Tier 1 and is a short train ride from Beijing. Dongguan is a bit of a hole but is close to Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. It's just the biggest of the non Tier 1 Pearl River Delta cities.
Liveable regional capitals are Tier 2's with something going for them. Again this is hugely subjective but Chengdu and Chongqing are, like Tianjin, pretty well developed for Tier 2 cities, I am also a big fan of Sichuan food and Sichuan women (Chongqing for all intents and purposes is Sichuan). Harbin and Dalian are decent looking cities for Tier 2, Harbin in parts, Dalian more so. Harbin, in my opinion, has the best women in China and you can buy hash over the counter, if you know where to go. Xian and Nanjing have more going on than your standard Tier 2, Xian with it's tourist influx can be interesting and it keeps the nightlife ticking over, Nanjing is borderline for this list to be honest. Qingdao is China's closest thing to a beach city and is the beer capital of the country, again it has a lot more going on than your typical Chinese city.
Unlivable regional capitals are Tier 2 cities, which are really just very big Tier 3's. Wuhan, Shenyang, Jinan and Zhengzhou are just extremely large cities with little other than their size to distinguish them from your run of the mill Tier 3.