A view of the skyline of Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province [Photo/VCG]

Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, was ranked as one of China's top ten happiest cities in 2018, the only city to make the list for 12 consecutive years, according to an index report released at a forum in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on Nov 26.

Co-conducted by Oriental Outlook magazine and Liaowang Institute under Xinhua News Agency, the survey polled more than 12.25 million respondents from 96 cities and 101 county-level cities, and measured in 16 categories, including life satisfaction, income, living environment, education, healthcare, transportation, public security and future expectations.

As the host city of the 2016 G20 Summit, the Yangtze River metropolis is not only bestowed with a beautiful landscape and long history, but is also full of innovative vigor as is evidenced by the headquarters of China's e-commerce giant Alibaba Group being located in the city.

To make the city livable and improve the living standards of its people, Hangzhou is also seeking to take the lead in the country's digital economy by boosting technological innovation and industrial transformation.

Other cities honored with the title include Chengdu, Ningbo, Xi'an, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Changsha, Taizhou, Tongchuan and Zhuhai.

Having been successfully held for 12 years, the Oriental Outlook's rankings have developed into one of China's most influential measurements of a city's overall development and its residents' quality of life. More than 988 million people worldwide have submitted completed questionnaires over the past 12 years.

The results of the "2018 China's Happiest Cities" survey are announced at a forum in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on Nov 26. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

The headquarters of China's e-commerce giant Alibaba Group in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province [Photo by Niu Jing/For China Daily]