THE 2023 list of China’s happiest cities was released at the Happy Cities of China Forum 2023, held in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, on Friday.

The top-10 happiest provincial capitals and cities specifically designated in the plan include Chengdu, one of the UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy, and Hangzhou, once hailed by Italian traveler Marco Polo as “the City of Heaven.”

The list also includes the cities of Ningbo, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Changsha, Shenyang, Hohhot, Qingdao and Taiyuan.

The survey-and-selection event, sponsored by the Oriental Outlook magazine, run by Xinhua News Agency, has been held for 17 consecutive years.

“Cities, as carriers of citizens’ lives, have taken on new missions as they progress into high-quality development,” said Liu Jian, vice president of Xinhua News Agency, when addressing the forum via video link.

Besides the happiest provincial capitals and cities specifically designated in the plan, another 11 cities were listed as the happiest prefecture-level cities in China at the forum. Meanwhile, 11 county-level cities and 10 urban districts were also selected as the happiest places. (Xinhua)