Top 10 leisure cities in China

Are you busy working in a big city? Take a break and go on a relaxed trip to one of China's top 10 leisure cities!

The 2013 China International Leisure Development Forum has recently published its newly updated list of the top 10 Chinese leisure cities.

Lijiang City of Southwest China's Yunnan Province topped the list, followed by Guangxi's Guilin and Hainan's Sanya. Hangzhou, where the world-renowned West Lake is located, failed to retain the first place it had achieved for two consecutive years, dropping to No. 4. Its splendid natural scenery and historic relics have made it a famous tourist city, but overcrowding, traffic congestion and insufficient accommodation have become increasingly problematic.

The list, published every three years, covers more than 60 candidate cities. This year's ranking, the third of its kind, was based on public polls, an online survey and expert opinions. The criteria included are the scale of the city, its leisure environment, government support, residents' satisfaction and leisure activities.

 Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province（江苏扬州）

Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province [File photo]

Located in central Jiangsu Province, Yangzhou is a city with a history of 2,500 years. Since ancient times, it has been a leading economic and cultural center, as well as a major port for foreign trade and exchanges on the lower reaches of the Yangtze and Huaihe rivers. Historically speaking, it was one of the wealthiest cities in all of China, known for its great merchant families, poets, painters and scholars.

The most famous attractions of the city include Slender West Lake, Ge Garden and Daming Monastery. Its “Three Knives,” kitchen knife, pedicure knife and hair knife, are the city's three traditional products.

Featuring a favorable leisure environment, it won the United Nations' Habitat Scroll of Honor Award in 2006.