Zengcheng Square (Xinhua file photo)

Zengcheng,a county-level city in Guangzhou, was awarded a place in the top 10 happiest cities in China. The competition, organized by the "Oriental Outlook" weekly and the China Association of Mayors, is now at its third session. The evaluation criteria include natural conditions, transport, development speed, level of civilization, business opportunities, medical services, education, property prices, security, employment, and convenience.

China has approximately 660 cities and county-level towns. In August 2009 and after a random sampling, the council nominated 100 towns, half at the prefecture level and the other half at the county level. The top ten of each category were announced in Xi'an, Shaanxi province on December 26.