By Li Hongmei

Rankings from non-Chinese residents put Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Xiamen, Nanjing, Suzhou, Hangzhou and Qingdao in China's top 10 cities, according to a poll conducted across 72,000 participants by China International Talent Development Center and the magazine International Talent, reports Party-run The People's Daily.

The survey provides four criteria for the voters: policy, finance, work, and living environments, and 18 indexes including rights protection, policies related to identity in China, job opportunity, opportunity for promotion, sanitary and medical environment, salary, international atmosphere and cultural diversity, children's education and so on.

Shanghai is considered to be China' favorite for foreigners, with high marks for international atmosphere and cultural diversity, salary, rights protection, children's education and medical and sanitary environment.

Despite being the capital of China, Beijing's poor air quality bumped it down in the rankings. Tianjin offers good opportunities for promotion and access to government policies.