Putuo district in nighttime. [Photo/WeChat account: zjzsrbs]

Putuo district in Zhoushan, East China’s Zhejiang province was named among China's 10 happiest districts for the fourth time, according to the 2021 Chinese Happy City Forum held in Beijing on Dec 30.

The list was released by weekly magazine Oriental Outlook and a think tank, managed by China state news agency Xinhua, and compiled based on research into factors including local residents' sense of identity, belonging, safety and satisfaction.

"Putuo boasts a visible happiness, that is, one can admire mountain and sea views," said Dai Wenming, spokesman of the 2021 Chinese Happy City Forum.

Dai added that Putuo also has a high per capita GDP and a narrow gap between rural and urban areas. The district's innovative grassroot governance system has also brought great convenience to local residents, setting an example around the country.

Over the past five years, Putuo's GDP reached 45 billion yuan ($7.08 billion) while its per capita GDP hit 140,000 yuan. It was also among the top 100 counties in China in 2020.

The annual increase rates of the per capita disposable income of urban and rural residents in Putuo were 7 percent and 8 percent respectively over the past five years. The modern development of the district's education had also won provincial recognition during the same period.