Huaibei, Anhui
Anhui is the kind of place that doesn’t get much notice in the West. It lacks the glitz and glamour and cultural gravity that draws people to places like Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong; and nor does it have a population of minorities with which to attract attention, as does Tibet. Instead, it just sits there in inland China, being poor. And while Anhui is poor, northern Anhui is poorer than Southern Anhui, and Huaibei is as far north as you can go while still being in Anhui. They are the forgotten people: peasants and townfolk who work hard every day, and if they are lucky, their village will produce one or two people who go to the local university, and who can then move to a slightly richer part of Anhui, thus moving their family up the social ladder.