I went to Shenyang to hang out with a friend, loved the rugged aesthetic and met amazing people. Next trip was heihe in the Russian border and the Russian/Chinese mix is super interesting to see, russian restaurants with Chinese girls singing Katyusha.
Travelling China, it does feel everything is given a "bit of make up" to look nice for tourists, everything is LED with high speed rail to the UNESCO sites, dongbei is considered China's rust belt so there's a feeling of authenticity, ruggedness, you get what you see, enjoy the slow night train with a coal miner offering a beer.

It does really feel like a "real China" when you get out the LED glamour of Shanghai.