The Beautiful China Evaluation Research Group with Sichuan University officially released the Beautiful China Provincial Capitals and Sub-provincial Cities Construction Level Research Report on Dec. 25th. It is the second report released by the research group, after its previous report entitled the Beautiful China Provincial Construction Level Report.

According to the report's rankings, Guangzhou City tops the listing by measure of comprehensive index, followed by Hangzhou, Chengdu, Nanjing, Shenzhen, Xi'an, Ningbo, Fuzhou, Changsha and Dalian. Chengdu City tops the list by measure of ecological index. Dalian and Hangzhou came in at number two and three, respectively.

At the time of the report's data entry deadline, the statistical yearbooks of Guiyang, Lhasa, Nanning and Changchun were still in the process of compiling or publishing, so the report doesn't include an evaluation of those four cities. Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan are not included in the report due to their different statistical indexes.

The research group is led by Professor Cai Shangwei, director of the Beautiful China Research Institute and Culture Industry Research Center of Sichuan University; Professor Cheng Li, executive director of the Beautiful China Research Institute at Sichuan University and visiting professor of U.S. Purdue University; and Gan Lu, associate professor with the College of Tourism and Culture Industry Research Center at Sichuan University.

The research group consists of dozens of teachers and students from related disciplines at Sichuan University and makes good use of the disciplinary advantages the university -- being a top national research-oriented and comprehensive one – has to offer.

Based on the long-term tracking studies of the academic achievements in China's ecological, economic, political, cultural and social development, the group has created a clear evaluation system, in accordance with the spirit of the 18th National Congress of the CPC and the goal of constructing a beautiful China.

Beautiful China is a concept originating from the disciplines of aesthetics, ecology and sociology. It highlights the construction of an ecological civilization; emphasizes the integration of ecological civilization construction with economic, political, cultural and social construction; and focuses on people's goal of living a wonderful life.

Taking into consideration a global vision, a national strategy and the public mood, the concept of Beautiful China is a combination of a beautiful environment, sustainable development, good governance, diverse culture, and ideal harmony.

On the basis of a wide range of related academic research achievements in recent years, the Beautiful China Provincial Capitals and Sub-provincial Cities Construction Level (2012) Research Report provides a full set of comprehensive indexes covering ecology, economy, politics, culture and society as the primary bases for evaluation.

Additionally, the report uses the United Nation's Human Development Index (HDI) as its main measurement method as well as compares both provincial capitals and sub-provincial cities.

The Beautiful China research report series is the first Beautiful China construction research report since the 18th National Congress of CPC clearly put forward the goal of creating a beautiful China. It selects assessment indicators in accordance with the construction reality of Beautiful China, systematically establishes an index system, and objectively compares provinces and cities. As a result, the Beautiful China Construction Level Evaluation Report eventually came into being.

After the 18th National Congress, from central government to local governments, the construction of Beautiful China is underway. The release of the Beautiful China report series will form a set of important scientific reference indexes for the construction of a beautiful China.