Suzhou named city with the best well-being

Suzhou city in East China's Jiangsu province recently won the honorary title of being the Chinese city with the best well-being. The title has been given out by Oriental Outlook, a magazine run by the Xinhua News Agency, for the past 15 years.

Taicang, which is administered by Suzhou, was also honored as a county-level city with the highest level of well-being.

Here is why Suzhou won the honor.

1. Human touch and green development create a comfortable living environment

As the first World Heritage City, Suzhou has two UNESCO World Heritages Sites - the Classical Gardens and the Grand Canal (Suzhou Section) - as well as six World Intangible Cultural Heritage items such as Kunqu Opera and Guqin.

The city's ecological environment has been continuously improved, which has boosted the population of rare birds and animals.

Suzhou has topped the list of most livable Chinese cities for several years in a row, according to the Global Livability Index.

2. Vigor and innovation add up to the sense of achievement

Suzhou has been focusing on the development of its advanced manufacturing and strategic emerging industries, with the gross output value of industries above designated size ranking among the top in the country.

3. Harmony and services increase people's sense of accomplishment

Basic welfare benefits have been upgraded and the elderly care and child care service systems have been constantly improved.

The city is among the country's first batch of regions to pilot modernized governance, and has been named a National Civilized City for five consecutive years.

In addition, 10-minute public culture circles and 10-minute sports and fitness circles in the urban and rural areas have been established.

4. Inclusiveness and openness strengthen the sense of belonging of enterprises

Suzhou has been listed as a "gold medal city" in China's investment environment by the World Bank and one of the best Chinese cities for business by Forbes. Some 17,000 foreign-funded enterprises have settled down in Suzhou, while 156 Fortune Global 500 enterprises have investments in the city. The city is currently home to more than 2.7 million market entities.

5. Digitization and intelligence make life more futuristic

Suzhou has been striving to develop its digital economy and seek digitization in a holistic manner. The city has also proactively promoted frontier sectors such as cloud computing, big data, and the internet of things. The "Su Zhou Dao" and "Su Shang Tong" mobile apps have been launched to provide all-day and comprehensive online services for residents and companies.