Recently, according to a survey on China’s livable cities released by the Geo-graphic Sciences and Natural Resources Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming ranks number two among China’s livable cities. With a total score of 64.67, it followed only Qingdao of Shandong Province.

Based on a large number of ques-tionnaire surveys and concurrent data analysis, the top ten most livable cities are Qingdao, Kunming, Sanya, Dalian, Wei-hai, Suzhou, Zhuhai, Xiamen, Shenzhen and Chongqing. They were selected from a group of 40 Chinese cities mostly pro-vincial capitals and municipalities directly 

under the jurisdiction of the central gov-ernment. Important indicators included 29 specific items falling into six categories, including public security, public service facilities, general convenience, natural environment, social and humanistic envi-ronment, traffic and environmental health. Kunming stands out in terms of all of these indicators.

Among the six categories of indi-cators, a pleasant natural environment and a unique social and cultural envi-ronment won Kunming high scores. Kunming boasts unique scenery with a large number of cultural relics and scenic spots. It is also home to all of Yunnan’s 26 ethnic groups, nurturing a unique urban culture.