Giant panda cubs at Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Sept. 24, 2019. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

Famous for its spicy food and as the home of giant pandas, Chengdu is the happiest city in China in 2019.

Ten cities at or above the prefectural level have been listed as the happiest cities in China of 2019, according to a forum held in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou on Monday.

The top 10 happiest cities are Chengdu, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Xi'an, Guangzhou, Changsha, Wenzhou, Taizhou, Tongchuan, and Xuzhou.

The West Lake in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, May 24, 2019. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi)

Another 10 county-level cities or districts were selected as the happiest county-level cities.

The cities were selected by Oriental Outlook magazine and think tank Liaowang Institute, both run by Xinhua News Agency, in a three-month-long process that included big data collection, questionnaire and panel discussions.

Fishing vessels sail off Shipu Fishery Port for a new round of fishing season in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province, Sept. 16, 2019. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi)

Education, employment, income, social welfare, healthcare, living conditions, and environment all concern people's sense of happiness and they are the key criteria in making the list, said Yan Wenbin, vice president of Xinhua News Agency.

The annual activity to select the happiest cities in China was first held in 2007.