Top 10 Most Livable Chinese Cities
1. Dalian - Situated at the tip of China's Liaodong Peninsula, it is a trading and financial center in northeastern Asia and has the moniker of the 'Hong Kong of Northern China.' Running from downtown Dalian there is a 40-kilometer (25-mile) road known as Binhai Lu winding along the coastline, northeast to southwest. Think the Pacific Coast Highway along the coast of Malibu --without the homes and development. Sublime.
2. Xiamen - Located on the southeast coast of China in East China's Fujian province, it was once one of the five most important business ports of ancient China. Today, it is still an influential port and an important regional economic hub.
3. Mianyang - A river port city in Sichuan province, close to Chengdu. which overshadows it. It is the hometown of famous poet Li Bai, with many historical relics of The Three Kingdoms.
4. Chengdu - Tian Fu Zhi Guo, literally a place richly endowed with natural resources. At the juncture of the Min and Tuo Rivers, two branches of the Yangtze River, connected to forty other rivers. It is a gateway to Tibet, and is considered the home of the most beautiful women of China.
5. Wuhan - The capital city of Hubei Province, is the biggest hub city in Central China. Divided by the Yangtze, Wuhan has come to be known as the Three Towns of Wuhan with Hankou and Hanyang on the west bank, and Wuchang on the east.
6. Hangzhou - Southeast of Shanghai, Hangzhou is the capital of Zhejiang province and is the political, economic and cultural center of the province. It is the ancient capital of the Southern Song Dynasty and has much natural beauty and cultural connections, including the Chinese National Tea museum
7. Shanghai - Hu for short. The "Paris of the Orient" it is the industrial center of China, with over 18.7 million inhabitants, 2 million of which are "floaters" residing on the Yangtze river. Although large in scale, it is quite manageable and in the currency of experiences, it is one of the most vibrant and rich places I've ever visited.
8. Nanjing - The capital of Jiangsu Province, it was the capital for six of 10 dynasties in China's history so is rich with cultural and historical advantages. It lies on the south of the Yangtze river, and has China's history running through it's veins, from being a dynastic capital to the location of the "Unequal Treaties" which ceded away Hong Kong to the British. It is a place which tells the story of China's past, present and future.
9. Qingdao - A beautiful seaside city, located in Southeast Shandong province, Qingdao is surrounded by sea on three sides, and sits across the Yellow Sea from Japan and Korea, making this an active trading port. From 1919 to 1949, Qindao was a colony of Germany, then Japan, thus the influence of Europe runs through its architecture. The seafood is unmatched, and Qindao will be the sailing venue for the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
10. Chongqing - A port city on the Yangtze river, near the confluence of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers, Ghongqing is the largest municipal area population in China--over 31 million people. But, it is not nearly as crowded with traffic and the effects of growth as Beijing--which didn't make the Top 10.
Commentary by yours truly from my time in China. Findings of the Urban Habitable Index by Horizon Group of Beijing
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