BEIJING, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai and Beijing topped a list of the 10 Chinese cities most attractive to foreigners in 2018, according to a survey released by a magazine under the Ministry of Science and Technology.

The other cities on the list included Hefei, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Qingdao, Tianjin, Xi'an, and Wuhan, reported the Science and Technology Daily.

In addition, Xiamen, Nanjing, Urumqi, Guangzhou, Xuzhou, Haikou, Kunming, Jinan, Dalian and Chengdu were rated with the most potential.

The survey received 239 votes from foreign experts including Nobel Prize winners, Turing Award winners and winners of the Friendship Award set up by the Chinese government, 2,815 votes from other foreign professionals, and 94,849 online votes from foreign Internet users.

First conducted in 2010, the annual survey is aimed at rating the attractiveness of major Chinese cities for foreigners in terms of work, life and the environment.

In 2018, China issued 336,000 work permits for foreigners and over 950,000 foreigners worked in the country.