Beisu, China

With a population of just 52,752, Beisu is a small and sleepy town that offers little in the way of excitement or opportunity. The administrative seat of two communities and 50 villages, it's the kind of place where bureaucracy and paperwork are persistent headaches. If the tranquility of rural China is your aim, Beisu might fit the bill - but anyone seeking an urban, cosmopolitan lifestyle would do well to look elsewhere.