Zhangfeng, China

Life in Zhangfeng is a grind. The population of 53,370 lives with the constant headache of bureaucracy and an ongoing civil war just across the border in Myanmar. The porous frontier means the area sees its share of criminal activity like gambling, prostitution, and drug smuggling.

While the China-Myanmar border region has remained largely cordial in recent years, the Kachin and Shan insurgencies have at times made the area volatile. Zhangfeng itself serves as a border crossing, with the Lweje-Zhangfeng passage connecting it to Myanmar. Those seeking a simple, straightforward life in China would do better to look elsewhere.