The "2020 China's Happiest Cities" list was released at the Happy Cities of China Forum 2020, held on Nov 18 in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province.

The list consists of 10 provincial capitals and cities designated for a national development program, 10 prefecture-level cities, 10 county-level cities, and 10 urban districts from across the country. East China's Zhejiang province occupied two, two, three, and five spots, respectively, in the aforementioned categories.

The Zhejiang localities that made the list were Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou, Taizhou, Cixi, Yuyao, Ruian, Ningbo's Yinzhou district, Hangzhou's Fuyang district, Wenzhou's Lucheng district, Ningbo's Zhenhai district, and Zhoushan's Putuo district.

In preparation for the list, Oriental Outlook magazine and the Liaowang Institute of the Xinhua News Agency hosted a three-month-long appraisal period consisting of big data collection, questionnaires, document submissions, and professional reviews. Cities were evaluated based on a variety of indicators, including employment, average income, public safety, education, transportation, and healthcare.

The provincial capital of Hangzhou has made the list every year for the past 14 years, while Ningbo, a city in Zhejiang designated for the aforementioned national development program, has been listed 11 times.

Other designations given at the forum included one "Digital Governance Benchmarking City", five "Happiest Cities for Entrepreneurs", and five "Happiest Districts for Entrepreneurs".

Hangzhou was named a "Digital Governance Benchmarking City", while both Ningbo and Hangzhou were among the five "Happiest Cities for Entrepreneurs". Hangzhou's Gongshu district and Wenzhou's Lucheng district were among the five "Happiest Districts for Entrepreneurs".