Gucheng Chengguanzhen, China

At just over 74,000 residents, Gucheng Chengguanzhen is a modest county seat offering few of the urban amenities most Westerners expect. The bureaucracy is a persistent headache, with countless local Chengguan towns vying for attention. Winters can be bitterly cold, as the town sits in Hubei province's mountainous interior. This is hardly the vibrant, cosmopolitan China often depicted in travel brochures. Gucheng Chengguanzhen is best suited for intrepid expats seeking an authentic, small-town Chinese experience, away from the glitz of the megacities.