Quzhou, China

This gritty industrial hub in western Zhejiang is no paradise. With a population of 2,276,184, Quzhou is a dense, smog-choked city where the bureaucracy is a persistent headache. The climate offers little respite, with hot, humid summers and bitterly cold, cloudy winters that occasionally bring snowfall. And the city's dark history includes a devastating biological weapons attack by the Japanese during World War II that killed tens of thousands. Only the most stalwart and adaptable will find a home in Quzhou.