So I've been living and studying in China for six months now and I've tried to travel as much as possible. I'm in love with this country and I'd recommend it to anyone (although getting around without speaking Chinese could be difficult). Anyway, I thought I'd 'review' the cities I've been too and offer advice to anyone planning a trip to the Middle Kingdom.

Nanjing

This is my base camp. It's honestly a lovely city. Before I came to China, I never heard anyone say a bad word about it. Since living there, I've only met one person who doesn't like it (it's dirty and has to many people), but I think her complaints don't mean much, when you compare Nanjing to other cities. It's a large city, but it isn't so sprawling its impossible to navigate, nor too crowded that you're uncomfortable. Right now it's really well balanced. You're never too far from a subway station, so getting around is easy and buses follow the standard China format of a flat rate to go anywhere. Nanjing has a lot of modern historical attractions such as Sun Yat Sen's mausoleum and the Nanjing Massacre Memorial. I've not been to the former, but the latter is quite heavy going. These are both situated in central-ish Nanjing, as are the old Ming dynasty tombs. For ancient historical sites, you have to go to the outskirts by bus, but you can see the famous explorer Zheng He's tomb, as well as some old Southern Tang tombs and even Six Dynasties temples. Weather is hot until around October, hitting a consistent 35 celcius in the summer, if not more. It gets pretty cold in the winter, but just about bearable. Food is food. People say Nanjing food is great, but you can eat all sorts of food anywhere in China. I had Beijing roast duck in Nanjing and it tastes the same as Beijing roast duck in Beijing, so don't bother planning your trips around food. Overall, a relatively relaxed city. Big enough to be lively and fun, but not as big and oppressive as somewhere like Shanghai.

Shanghai

I hate Shanghai. It's too big, has too many people and no charm. As with most Jiangnan cities, the roads are narrow, but Shanghai buildings are really tall, which gives it a real nasty and constricted atmosphere. It takes forever to get anywhere on the subway, which is admittedly well connected, and rush hour makes travelling really horrible - although not as bad as Beijing. A modern city, it has no historical sites to really see; the main tourist sites are Nanjing road and the Bund. Other people like it, I don't, and I appear to be in the minority, so take from that what you will.

Hangzhou

Another Jiangnan city, although its essentially just a big lake with some buildings around it. The lake itself is lovely, especially on a summer evening, but you'll fast find yourself running out of stuff to do once you've explored it. The subway system is relatively new, which means half of the city isn't connected yet, so it's the bus or nothing if you want to travel out of the city center. Yue Fei's tomb is nice to see (although his real tomb is in Henan) and you can see Chairman Mao's old lakeside house too.

Jinhua

Another Zhejiang city. Relatively modern, but with a great atmosphere. Sites to see include an old Taiping mansion, as well as the downtown area and the river. It also has a garden with modern art-architecture, which I thought was weird but may appeal to you. No subway.

Shaoxing

The last of the Jiangnan cities I've been too and my favourite by far. The home of Chinese literature - or at least many famous writers. Small, but charming, a nice mix of old and new. More traditional than Hangzhou, but with enough modern aspects to satisfy the Western tourist and enough tradition to keep a distinctly Chinese charm. No subway, but you don't need one for a city this small. Places to see include Lu Xun's home and museum, Wang Xizhi's museum, an old teachers house (I'll edit in the name when I remember it), Zhou Enlai's house and the Orchid Pavillion. Climbing Mount Tan? (I forget the name) is also fun and gives a lovely view of the city.

Anyang

A city in Henan, famous as one of the ancient capitals. I was actually ill when I was there, so didn't get the full experience. Kind of dusty and very northern, I wouldn't recommend it in and of itself, but it does has some old Shang tombs which are really cool to see. Yue Fei's hometown should also be nearby.

Nanchang

A southern city, near to Poyang Lake. Known for its high crime rate and relative poverty, which can make travelling a little tense. A very bustling and lively place, its in desperate need of a subway (currently under construction), so expect a lot of crowded buses if you go. There's an old Tang mansion which gives some lovely views of the city. Its also famous for being the first place shots were fired in the civil war or something, I'm not sure. Would tentatively recommend. Also, don't expect easy access to Poyang itself, its still three plus hours away.

Beijing

The capital itself. Not as bad as I though (I pictured something akin to Shanghai). As with many northern cities, roads are wide, giving it a nice, open feeling. Very big and sprawling, with a huge population. Getting the subway at rush hour is literally impossible, even if they come every two seconds. Expect to taxi a lot (the drivers will nearly all speak the local dialect, which is both annoying and humorous at times) although since everyone insists on taking the subway, public buses are actually decent, although expect a lot of traffic. Sites to see in Beijing are reasonably obvious and I can't tell you anymore than the basics. Pollution there sucks, don't go if you have asthma, its actually lethal.

I've probably been to some other places in forgetting and more to add about the above (including pictures), so will keep this updated (and format it better) when I get back to a computer. Currently I'm heading out west to Sichuan, and going to seven cities, so a load more to talk about.