• Chengdu, the city you know, and love (hometown of the panda, spicy hot pot and mahjong etc. etc.) once again came in first in an annual listing of China’s 10 happiest cities, according to a recent forum.
• The cities are selected for their efforts in striving for the well-being of the people and seeking quality development, green development and good governance. Their residents' sense of happiness is also related to local education, employment, income, social welfare, healthcare and living conditions, according to the organizer.
Tianfu Square. / Image: Canopy by Hilton
China's Happiest Places
11 provincial capitals and major cities, and another ten cities at the prefectural level, have been listed as the happiest cities in China for 2024, according to a forum held in Shanghai. Please find the list below...
The happiest cities of provincial capitals and municipalities with independent planning status:
Chengdu 成都
Hangzhou 杭州
Ningbo 宁波
Nanjing 南京
Changsha 长沙
Qingdao 青岛
Guangzhou 广州
Shenyang 沈阳
Xi'an 西宁
Dalian 大连
Shijiazhuang 石家庄
The happiest prefecture-level cities:
Suzhou 苏州
Taizhou 泰州
Wenzhou 温州
Yibin 宜宾
Taizhou 台州
Huzhou 湖州
Panzhihua 攀枝花
Weihai 威海
Yingkou 营口
Jiayuguan 嘉峪关
Image: Getty
Chengdu Usually Tops the List
Chengdu has won the title of "China's happiest city" more than any other city!
The cities were selected by Oriental Outlook magazine and think tank Liaowang Institute, both run by Xinhua News Agency, in a three-month-long process that included big data collection, questionnaires and panel discussions.
Education, employment, income, social welfare, health care, living conditions and the local environment are all related to people's sense of happiness, and they represent the key criteria in selecting winners, according to the organizer.
Chengdu has been well-known for its long standing history, delicious Sichuan cuisine and the reserve of pandas. But what makes it an attractive place to live also seems to have a lot to do with its slower pace of life.
In recent years, Chengdu has witnessed a strong development in cultural and high-tech industry, which makes it a magnet for people wanting to settle down as well.
Can 'happiness' be measured?
This leads us to ask the question, is there any way to truly measure a city's happiness and can anyone really put a rating on the concept of happiness?
The key criteria assessed to determine happiness included education, employment, income, social welfare, healthcare, living conditions, and environment that contribute to a bundle of people's happiness. It's obviously not perfect, but we're happy to see out city coming out on top.
The verdict?
We wouldn't live anywhere else in the middle kingdom... but as for the other 9 cities listed? The jury is still out.
Sources: 瞭望东方周刊, Chengdu-Expat
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