Economic marvel Shanghai is China's 'sexiest' city

China's eastern metropolis of Shanghai, the economic hub of Hong Kong and the sprawling city of Chongqing have been named the 'sexiest cities' in the country because of their economic prosperity, urban development, charming buildings and beautiful girls, according to a new survey.

Shanghai

More than 17 per cent of 6,577 residents randomly sampled from 30 cities in China named Shanghai as the sexiest city in the survey conducted by the Horizon Research Consultancy Group.

People gave a wide range of reasons for naming Shanghai as the sexiest city, including its strong economy, iconic buildings and landscape, hosting of the World Expo 2010 and cultural diversity.

Shanghai the centre of finance and trade in China. It is also called the showpiece of China owing to its fantastic urban infrastructure and its pivotal position as a significant business centre in the world's fastest growing economy. Shanghai is also the most populous city in China.

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Hong Kong

Hong Kong came second with the support of 8.4 per cent. Hong Kong came second because it is a major economic hub, has many celebrities and is an international city.

Hong Kong has a highly developed capitalist economy and is ranked as the freest economy in the world.

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Chongqing

Chongqing came third with 4.7 per cent naming it the sexiest city.

More than 65 per cent of the respondents who mentioned Chongqing listed beautiful women as their reason, while only 5.3 per cent of those who supported Shanghai gave the same reason, the report said.

About 33.1 per cent of respondents said they 'cannot tell' which city is sexy, it added.

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Beijing

Beijing is one of the most developed cities and a major financial hub of China.

Beijing got the nod from 4.6 per cent as the fourth sexiest city, as it is a throbbing economic hub as also the seat of power of the Asian giant.

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Guangzhou

Guangzhou, another sparkling economic powerhouse in China, also got the nod from 4.6 per cent. It is China's third largest city and a major transportation hub and trading port.

The survey, however, sparked off debate and controversy over the definition of 'sexiness', with some observers stating that 'sexy' is an outdated criterion for urban development.