China selects happiest cities of 2022

Newborn giant panda cubs held by staff members make public appearance at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 28, 2022. (Xinhua/Xu Bingjie)

HANGZHOU, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Ten provincial capitals and major cities, and another 11 cities at the prefectural level, have been listed as the happiest cities in China for 2022, according to a forum held in Hangzhou, the capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, on Wednesday.

The happiest cities include Chengdu, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Xining, Guangzhou, Changsha, Shenyang, Hefei, Qingdao and Nanjing.

Ten county-level cities and 10 urban districts were also selected as the happiest places.

The cities were selected by Oriental Outlook magazine and the think tank Liaowang Institute, both run by Xinhua News Agency, in a two-month-long process that included big data collection, questionnaires and panel discussions.

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.

The happiest cities in China have been named every year since 2007.