A bird's-eye view of Wuxi. [Photo provided to en.wuxi.gov.cn]
Wuxi in East China's Jiangsu province was awarded the title of the 2025 Happiest City at the Happy Cities of China Forum 2025 in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province, on Dec 9, while Yixing, located in Wuxi, was recognized as the happiest county-level city of 2025.
What does happiness mean in Wuxi?
Since the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), Wuxi's GDP has exceeded 1 trillion yuan ($141.61 billion) for four consecutive years, reaching 1.63 trillion yuan in 2024, with a per capita GDP of 217,000 yuan.
Wuxi was the first in the province to introduce the 10 measures for facilitating foreign nationals coming to Wuxi, creating a better environment for them to invest and do business.
Wuxi, a national historical and cultural city, is home to the Doushan Site, the earliest known prehistoric city remains in the lower Yangtze River region. Today, the city continues to embody the cultural spirit of Jiangnan. As children watch artisans shape Huishan clay figurines and young people study the fine work of embroidery masters, the city quietly nurtures a deeper appreciation for tradition among its residents.
This year, Wuxi has earned another honor, being recognized as China's first UNESCO City of Music. In Wuxi, attending a play at the Wuxi Grand Theatre, wandering through endless books at Zhong Reading Yard, or listening to the melodious strings by the ancient canal have become part of daily happy life.
Wuxi also promotes employment and attracts talent by offering housing subsidies, transportation and tourism discounts, and comprehensive services like youth talent stations. This talent-friendly city is welcoming talented people from all over the world with an open, inclusive, and vibrant attitude.
Blue skies, green land, and clear waters have become the distinctive background of Wuxi's high-quality development. In Wuxi, happiness is having scenery all year round, seeing greenery outside your window, enjoying cherry blossoms in spring, lotuses in summer, ginkgo in autumn, and plum blossoms in winter.
In Wuxi, happiness is not just a slogan, it is manifested in the green mountains and clear waters, convenient services, and laughter in the streets.
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