Shanghai nearly the friendliest city in all of China

RAPID economic development and an improving social environment have pushed Shanghai up the list to rate as the third most resident-friendly city in China.

Horizonkey.com, a Beijing-based consulting firm, surveyed 4,295 residents in 39 cities across the country about how they felt about living in their city and how they felt about the other cities.

Questions in the survey ranged over economic development, public services, the community and the environment.

The annual survey this year placed Shanghai third on the list of cities most suitable for living, seven places higher than last year.

Xiamen, a city in Fujian Province and Hangzhou of neighboring Zhejiang Province, are the leading and runner-up cities respectively.

"The ranking appears to be relatively steady as a whole but it is noteworthy that Shanghai has seen a considerable increase in its awareness," Wang Yang, one of the Horizonkey.com analysts, wrote in the report.

Shanghai, as last year, remained the most resident-friendly city for residents from outside the city.

In the self-evaluation section where just the local residents rate the city, last year Shanghai fell out of the top 10 but climbed back to fifth position this year.

Analysts said that the increased rating was a result of the robust economic development and improved public services.

The city topped the 39 surveyed Chinese cities for economic and humanitarian and cultural development.

The survey did not break down the specific figures for different aspects for individual cities.

The 39 surveyed cities scored an average 65 points out of 100 in the annual composite resident-friendly index, slightly higher than the 61.5 points scored last year.

Community services, including property management services, community cultural and entertainment facilities and green development, had the largest increase in satisfaction.