Cities that prioritize their residents score high on national happiness list

All happy families are alike, as Leo Tolstoy wrote in Anna Karenina. Each happy city in today's China, however, is happy in its own way.

That idea was on display recently with the release of the latest list of China's happiest cities at the Happy Cities Forum 2025 in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province.

The list recognized 11 provincial capitals and separately listed cities, 11 prefecture-level cities, five municipal districts, as well as 10 urban districts and 11 county-level cities — offering a broad snapshot of urban well-being nationwide.

Now in its 19th year, the annual selection is sponsored by Oriental Outlook magazine. It is based on an urban happiness index system drawing on big data analysis and more than 320,000 valid questionnaires.

Cities were evaluated across nine primary indicators — employment, income, quality of life, ecology, city attractiveness, public safety, education, transportation and healthcare — along with more than 100 secondary indicators.

Rather than producing a uniform model for success, the process highlights a range of locally tailored approaches to improving everyday life.

Chengdu, which has made the list for 17 consecutive years, is often cited as a standout example of work-life balance. The megacity of over 21 million people is also known for its close association with giant pandas.

"The appeal of Chengdu lies in its dual character — one relaxed and unhurried, the other energetic and innovative," said Dai Wenming, spokeswoman for the Happy Cities Forum. "This combination makes the city particularly attractive to young people."

Dai noted that Chengdu has ranked first in the city attractiveness indicator for several consecutive years.

Lutz Pluemer, dean at Southwest Jiaotong University in Chengdu, said residents strike a rare work-life balance.

"People here are fiercely hardworking, yet they always make time to enjoy life — whether sharing hot pot with colleagues or strolling through People's Park," he said.

That blend is also reflected in the cityscape, he added, where ancient temples stand alongside luxury boutiques at Chengdu Taikoo Li, and the 100-kilometer Chengdu Ring Greenway transitions seamlessly from dense urban areas to rice-filled wetlands.

Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, illustrates how technological innovation can be used to enhance well-being in practical ways.

Noninvasive brain-computer interface technology developed by local company BrainCo allows amputees to regain daily functions with smart bionic hands. Intelligent eldercare systems help seniors live independently, while electronic guide dogs, exoskeleton robots and autonomous buses are being woven into everyday life.

"By integrating major development goals into daily experiences, Hangzhou has effectively strengthened residents' sense of happiness," said Wu Honglie, director of the Hangzhou research center of China's happiest cities.

Yibin, a prefecture-level city in Sichuan, illustrates how industrial transformation and ecological protection can advance together.

Once heavily dependent on liquor production and coal, Yibin has shifted toward the digital economy and new energy industries. It is now known as China's "capital of power batteries", producing one in every 10 power batteries worldwide, according to Mayor Du Haiyang.

The transition has created about 160,000 jobs over the past five years, Du said. At the same time, sustained environmental management has kept the Yangtze River's water quality in Yibin at Grade II, the second-best level, with the number of fish species doubling.

Residents now regularly stroll along the river to watch fish in clear waters and black-headed gulls migrating from Siberia in winter, a sight many describe as a source of pride and daily pleasure.

"A fulfilling job and a comfortable life — that's where my strongest sense of happiness comes from," said local resident Hong Yuqiu.

Ningxiang, a county-level city in Central China's Hunan province, has prioritized an area of high concern for young people — affordable housing.

For recent graduate Sheng Li, who joined a local materials company, that meant starting out with a three-month rent-free talent apartment, followed by a furnished company dormitory.

Over the years, Ningxiang has built a housing support system that includes public rental and purchase options, subsidies, housing vouchers and other policies aimed at fostering a sense of belonging.

Despite their differing paths, cities that score highest on happiness tend to share a strong commitment to a people-centered development philosophy, according to the expert panel behind the selection.

"The main lesson from the happiest cities is that urban happiness does not come from chasing size or growth rates alone," said Cai Shangwei, director of the Culture Industry Research Center at Sichuan University. "It depends on following a development path suited to local conditions and consistently putting people's livelihood needs first."

"Real happiness is found in the details of everyday life, where development gains become tangible, personal and genuinely felt by every resident," he added.

pengchao@chinadaily.com.cn