Chengdu gets it right on work-life balance

I spent five days in Chengdu last week, resting after a month-long road trip and trying to figure out what makes the capital of Sichuan province one of the happiest cities in China — especially compared to my home city Shanghai.

For 17 consecutive years, Chengdu has been rated among the Top 10 Happiest Cities in China by Oriental Outlook magazine published by Xinhua News Agency. The latest ranking was announced in December 2025.

Chengdu is a historical city, dating back about 2,300 years. Most Chinese like myself were fascinated by books such as Romance of the Three Kingdoms in childhood.

That is why I visited Wuhou Shrine again this time after my last visit about 20 years ago to pay tribute to the legendary figures whose stories have impacted the lives of so many people.

The street vibe in Chengdu is very different from that of Shanghai.

Small family-run restaurants and roadside food stands, with tables on sidewalks, are everywhere, even next to Taikoo Li, the posh shopping and dining place similar to Xintiandi in Shanghai. The "bench noodle" stand is the most extreme example, where a small stool by the roadside is your table.

Such food stands belonged to bygone days in Shanghai after decades of government efforts to face-lift the city's image, often at the expense of convenience to local residents.

Chengdu folks are very willing to go out and meet friends. The abundance of inexpensive eateries across the city offers more choices to people who can't afford the expensive restaurants in shopping malls.

Since Chengdu is such a food paradise, many such inexpensive restaurants and food stands serve very tasty food.

While playing cards in public parks is not unusual in Chinese cities, in Shanghai it's often only a pastime for men.

But in Chengdu, women are just as enthusiastic and truly "hold up half the sky".

Young men and women in Chengdu, a hinterland city, dress up just as fashionably as their peers in Shanghai, while local entertainment spots, such as live music venues and talk show theaters, draw big crowds.

One Didi, China's Uber, driver who had worked for a year in Shanghai told me that most Chengdu people are not workaholics. They like to spend money and time enjoying life.

In other words, Chengdu folks manage work-life balance better than people in many other cities of China.

In Shanghai, by contrast, many people have willingly or unwillingly become workaholics. Some have become homebodies or are "lying flat", doing nothing. All of them badly need to rebalance their lives.

It's no coincidence that Finland and Denmark are consistently rated the happiest countries in the World Happiness Report sponsored by the United Nations, largely due to the good work-life balance despite the long cold weather in Nordic countries. Living costs are also much lower in Chengdu. The restaurants are cheaper and housing prices are much lower than those in Shanghai. But so are the average wages.

The Didi driver noted that pressure is growing due to excessive competition, or juan in Chinese.

With a population of 21 million, Chengdu ranked 7th among Chinese cities by GDP. Its economy reached 2.48 trillion yuan ($366 billion) in 2025, still less than half of that of Shanghai's 5.67 trillion yuan.

Chengdu has now become a modern international metropolis, with modern industries, world-class infrastructure and efficient transport systems that attract many international tourists.

The city's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), announced recently, targets a GDP of 3.2 trillion yuan. This is to be achieved not just by expanding its transport networks and advanced manufacturing and high-tech sectors, but also by building more parks, better schools and a city that is more friendly to senior citizens.

I have my fingers crossed that Chengdu does not lose its appeal as one of the happiest cities and Shanghai catches up in that ranking.

The author is a China Daily columnist.

chenweihua@chinadaily.com.cn