Shenzhen ranked third among mainland cities, after Sanya and Chengdu, in being tolerant to non-locals, according to a survey published by the Beijing-based Horizon Research Consultancy Group on Monday.

Shanghai, Beijing and Dalian in northeastern Liaoning Province were the least tolerant cities, according to the survey.

The survey, started in April last year, took the top mainland consultancy firm nearly a year to complete. It polled 2,553 residents aged between 18 and 60 in 20 major mainland cities, including Beijing and Shanghai.

The survey tackled issues like whether it is easy to communicate with others, find a job, attend school, befriend neighbors and get married in a specific city. It tried to evaluate how difficult it is to integrate with local communities in a city.

"The result is not surprising at all," said Le Zheng, director of the Shenzhen Academy of Social Sciences.

"Shenzhen is a migrant city in itself, with non-hukou holders comprising more than 70 percent of its population. It is among the few southern cities where people speak putonghua most frequently rather than dialects."

The city's restaurants, presenting a wide variety of cuisines from different parts of China, is another piece of evidence that the city is tolerant towards different cultures, said Diana Xu, a media employee.

Sanya is a tourist city and Chengdu a leisurely place famous for its teahouses and mahjong games. It is not surprising they are listed as tolerant in a highly competitive society, she said.

Editor: Yan