Liji, China

With a population of just 39,691, Liji is a modest Chinese town that offers little to write home about. While the Book of Rites may have shaped Chinese society for centuries, the reality on the ground here is one of persistent bureaucratic headaches. Fragments of ancient texts have been uncovered in the region, but the modern-day experience is far removed from the grand philosophies they espoused. Unless you're a Confucian scholar intent on immersing yourself in the classics, Liji has little to entice the average expat.