Survey for 2015 Most Attractive Chinese Cities for Expats Kicks Off
Shanghai tops list of desirability for expats for the fourth time straight
Shanghai has for the fourth time topped the list of the 10 most attractive Chinese cities for expats, according to a survey conducted on foreign professionals living in China nationwide.
The financial hub scored highest in the ranking's four important indexes for foreigners to evaluate cities, namely policies for foreign professionals, governmental affairs, the working environment and the living environment.
The cities which follow are Beijing, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Qingdao, Suzhou, Guangzhou, Xiamen and Jinan.
Shanghai and Beijing led the race, with Shanghai surpassing Beijing in all four indexes.
Shanghai has become one of the hottest destinations in China for foreigners to work and study and has more than 88,000 resident foreign experts, one-sixth of the national population.
This is the sixth time the ranking, organized by the International Talent magazine and China Society for Research on International Professional Personnel Exchange and Development, has been released. Between July and December of 2015 , nearly 20,000 foreign professionals throughout China participated in the surXvey.
Hangzhou: A rising star
Hangzhou of Zhejiang province ranked third this year, and beat out previous third-spot regulars Shenzhen and Tianjin.
Hangzhou's position on the list has been rising over the years. In 2013, it was ninth. In 2014, it rose to sixth position and this time around, it is the second runner-up.
"Next September, I welcome you to West Lake," said Chinese President Xi Jinping on Nov 16, 2015 when he commented on the upcoming G20 summit that'll be held in September in Hangzhou. This is the first time a G20 summit will be held in China.
Ever since British educator Richard Pratt, Director of China International School Hangzhou set foot in Hangzhou in 1990, he has been mesmerized by the beauty of the city.
"The triangle of clouds, mountains and water surrounding the town creates a reflective image of the natural landscapes where the city and nature are dependent on one another, and the sceneries and rich history and culture are interwoven, forming a very interesting image."
"I was attracted to the openness and internationalization of Hangzhou. The people here are friendly, the society very energetic, it is comfortable to live and do business here and it fully deserves the title of a beautiful city," added Pratt.
New categories showcase expats' preferences
On top of the top 10 cities, several new lists were added for this year's survey.
For the list of expats' favorite cities in West China, Chengdu was at a clear advantage among the 12 nominees, all capitals the 12 provinces in West China.
Chengdu municipality, also the starting point of the Southern Silk Road, has always held an important strategic position in geopolitical strategies southwards and as part of the "Belt and Road Initiatives".
In "Comparison between Chinese and international cities on attractiveness to talents ", San Francisco, London, New York, Toronto, Singapore, Sydney, Washington, Berlin, Los Angeles and Hong Kong were selected as the top ten cities that attracted the talented. 15 experts from International City Management Association (ICMA) and expats voted for the top ten.
Shanghai and Beijing ranked 12th and 16th, respectively. Interestingly, second-tier cities like Qingdao (19th) and Hangzhou (20th) performed better than first-tier cities Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Tianjin.
According to the survey, the biggest shortcoming for internationalization of Chinese cities is the yet-to-mature policies on recruiting talents. Only Shanghai and Beijing received votes from ICMA and none of the other Chinese cities did.
For government affairs, only Qingdao, Shanghai and Beijing received votes where Qingdao was acknowledged the most, ranking 12th in 30 cities. Shanghai and Beijing ranked 13th and 15th.
Xi remains the "face of China"
This year's survey asked an open question on who the participants regarded as the "face of China".
Chinese president Xi Jinping ranked first at 11.7%, followed by Chairman Mao Zedong at 4.2%, kung fu superstar Jackie Chan at 3.7%, Alibaba founder Jack Ma at 2.7% and basketball player Yao Ming at 1.9%.
In general, political figures left deeper impressions on foreign experts, attracting 18.2% of the votes. Aside from Xi, Mao and Deng Xiaoping, Premier Li Keqiang, former premier Wen Jiabao, politician Dr. Sun Yat-sen and former premier Zhou Enlai were also very popular.
