Shanghai, a booming international financial center, has topped the "List of Best Chinese Cities of Global Images," according to a new survey released Monday in Shanghai.

The survey took into account culture, environment, quality of life, public security, government, investment value and internationalization, among other things.

Shanghai topped the list with a score of 78.85, followed by Beijing with 78.77, and then Chengdu and Nanjing both with 75.9, according to the survey released by the "Global Image of Chinese Cities" organizing committee.

The International Public Relations Research Center of Fudan University designed the survey to illustrate the soft power of Chinese cities.

The survey was the first of its kind in China and could help Chinese cities see how global they were compared with other cities in the country, according to the organizing committee.

The world renowned Gallup Consulting conducted the survey of 7,980 foreigners, including expats in institutions and enterprises in China, and foreigners who had visited China.

Other cities on the list include Hangzhou, Ningbo, Xi'an, Changsha, Kunming and Changchun.