However much we may feel to the contrary, Beijing continues to lag behind Shanghai for the sixth year in a row as the most favorite city among expats living in China.

This year's version of the Amazing China expat survey finds the southern metropolis in pole position for having the most favorable policies, governmental environment, and for its working and living conditions.

Second-place Beijing, which last held the number one spot in 2011, is followed by Hefei, Qingdao, and Shenzhen. Rounding out the rest of the top ten are Hangzhou, Suzhou, Chengdu, Nanjing, and Guangzhou.

READ: Survey: Expats Prefer Shanghai Over Beijing

The favoritism of Shanghai over any other Chinese city comes as little surprise given its popularity. Almost a quarter of all expats (approximately 25,000) call the Pearl of the Orient their home.

Although western Chinese hotspot Chengdu makes it onto the list for the first time, the annual survey didn't present many surprises.

Expats overwhelmingly come to China expressing for job opportunities, of which 70 percent of expat respondents expressed satisfaction with their salaries. Younger expats are prone to short stays while older expats are more likely to live long-term in the Celestial Kingdom.

China Daily attributes the popularity of Shanghai among expats as being a result of its successful foreign talent program, of which its own procedural efficiency is said to have attained a 70 percent approval rating among foreign talents.

READ: Beijing's Approval Rate Among its 90,000 Youngish Foreigners: 62%

Conducted between November and this past February and hosted by China Daily, the Amazing China 2017 survey collates the result of 4,066 ballots and 25,494 online votes.

Being second to Shanghai for so long may be a bitter pill to swallow, so we'll have to be happy that silver happens to be the material with which they make fine eating utensils. Hopefully, we'll be able to make due by having relatively lower living costs compared to the sky-high port of call.

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E-Mail: charlesliu1 (at) qq (dot) com

Twitter: @Sinopath

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