FORTUNE magazine selected Qingdao as one of the five “Emerging Commercial Cities” in China on Dec. 22.

    It was the fifth time the magazine had given out the annual award based on a survey. Qingdao was second in the survey after Suzhou.

    Emerging commercial cities would likely become super cosmopolises in China, according to the magazine.

    The survey collected comments from 1,278 senior agents in China regarding the commercial environment, commercial costs, local talent resources and the quality of life in 50 cities.

    Suzhou was first because it was the second-biggest industrial city in China. It has a population of 6.3 million and is called “A Paradise on Earth.”

    Qingdao, with a population of 8.5 million, won the award because of its proximity to Japan and South Korea. Qingdao has been a good city for foreign investment since the 1970s and is also a tourism city with the Tsingtao Beer Festival and a rich sailing culture.

    The other three award-winning cities were Shenzhen, Ningbo and Dalian.

    (Chen Ting, Li Xiaoli)