The only thing you can find online is usually catering to rich western tourists or “expats” and usually boils down to “Which place is the most western/ High GDP and McDonalds!” so I’d rather get an opinion from someone that’s been there that isn’t a business tourist.
Proud Cantonese here. Come to Guangzhou! We welcome everyone and it’s always hospitable all year round, not to mention we are pretty close to Hong Kong. Guangzhou is a chill city with pretty laid back people, with a unique Yum cha culture (lit. “drink tea”). Unlike Shenzhen, which is modern but soulless because it feels like a big company conglomerate - everybody goes to there for work (including me).
Other nice cities to live in including Lijiang: stunning scenery, good & unique food, etc., Suzhou: a laid back city with a rich culture and very comfortable weather, and Chengdu: another welcoming city with an open (compared to the rest of the China) culture.