9 places to live differently

China's medieval port of the world — flower crowns and living history

China's global gateway — where the Bund meets the former French Concession.

The quietest of the rich canal towns — silk wealth without the crowds

Ang Lee's "Lust, Caution" filming location — an untouristed Pudong salt-trading town

Misty lake shores and China's digital frontier in one walkable city

A millennium-old crossroads where dialects from a hundred family names still echo

China's legendary "first water town" — ancient bridges, deep lanes, zero crowds.

Where tides, light, and 1,700 years of coast meet China's most photogenic mudflats

Where traditional craft meets a new-generation rural community