According to the annual Quality of Life Index released by International Living magazine, China has improved its ranking from 116th in 2006 to 97th in 2010 among 194 countries.

In terms of the environment, which makes up 10 percent of the overall score for the Quality of Life index, a gap certainly exists. Water and air are basic elements to survival, but in some seriously polluted cities in China, a clear sky is seldom seen.

Citizens in Europe and the United States, for example, can drink water from the tap without worrying about bacteria. Chinese people have to boil tap water. China's old water pipeline, which may pollute the purified water from the plant, is partly to blame. But Germany's pipelines, which were constructed in the 19th century, still deliver potable water.

The good news for China is that the government has already taken the environmental protection index into account while evaluating the performance of officials.

Besides the environment, many other elements affect how people feel the quality of their lives. International Living considers the cost of living and the economy (which account for 15 percent of the final score) and freedom, health, culture and leisure, safety and risk, infrastructure and climate (which account for 10 percent each).

People living in developed European countries have a higher quality of life than Chinese. In these countries, people have few concerns about food safety, are in less danger of being robbed or attacked, have a lower cost of living and a good welfare and unemployment system.

Generally, rich countries naturally have a higher quality of life. However many people in poorer countries live happier than the Chinese. Chinese Ambassador to Morocco Cheng Tao said although African people are poor, they live freely and easily.

It seems Chinese people are exhausted. Everyone works hard to afford housing and living necessities and to save money at the expense of their health.

(This post was first published in Chinese and translated by Ma Yujia.)