Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, tops the public service list of major cities, according to a survey.

The survey, led by Guangzhou-based Sun Yat-sen University, assessed 19 cities on the Chinese mainland this year.

The southern metropolis is followed by Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, Ningbo in Zhejiang province, and Shanghai, according to the survey released on Monday.

Guangzhou ranked top in the core criteria, identifying public need, providing services and government responsiveness.

Guangzhou has a number of channels to gauge public opinion and its government Weibo attracted more than 2 million fans.

He Yanling, a professor from Sun Yat-sen University, said the survey aims to let relevant government departments focus on their tasks more clearly.

Rankings:

1 Guangzhou, Guangdong province

2 Nanjing, Jiangsu province

3 Ningbo, Zhejiang province

4 Shanghai municipality

5 Hangzhou, Zhejiang province

6 Shenzhen, Guangdong province

7 Jinan, Shandong province

8 Beijing municipality

9 Chengdu, Sichuan province

10 Shenyang, Liaoning province

11 Xiamen, Fujian province

12 Dalian, Liaoning province

13 Qingdao, Shandong province

14 Tianjin municipality

15 Harbin, Heilongjiang province

16 Wuhan, Hubei province

17 Xi'an, Shaanxi province

18 Changchun, Jilin province

19 Chongqing municipality

Source: Report on Chinese City Governments' Public Service Abilities