Ningbo listed among happiest places in China for entrepreneurs

Ningbo in East China's Zhejiang province has been listed among the happiest places in China for entrepreneurs. A total of 20 Chinese cities and districts were conferred with such an accolade in 2023.

Unveiled during a forum held in the county-level city of Taicang in East China's Jiangsu province on Sept 19, the list was compiled by Oriental Outlook magazine, run by Xinhua News Agency, based on a survey and a process that involved big data collection, online questionnaires, field research and panel discussions.

The top 10 cities at the prefectural level or above are Ningbo, Chengdu, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Qingdao, Hefei, Changsha, Ordos, Wenzhou, and Taizhou. Ten county-level cities and urban districts, including Yuyao in Ningbo, were also selected.

Ningbo has made strides in improving the business climate through implementing administrative service reforms. The city has been designated a national demonstration area for the construction of a social credit system and one of the first national demonstration cities for the construction of a law-based government. Its business environment and net inflow rate of talent have consistently ranked among the top in the country.

Wang Qiguang, deputy chief editor of Oriental Outlook magazine, praised Ningbo for cultivating a fertile ground for entrepreneurs. He highlighted the city's ambitious goal to become home to the best business environment of any city in the country this year, which indicates a promising future for Ningbo's entrepreneurs.