I lived in Hefei, the capital. Pretty backwards compared to mega-cities like Shanghai, & pretty boring overall. Street food in the city itself hard to find, but luckily there was quite something on offer near the university.
Not much to see for tourists, but living there was OK.

Essentially, a normal hinterland city in China. Can't say it was particularly laid back. Just as busy as other 2nd- or 3rd-tier cities.