We told you previously of China's great vision to be a "harmonious society" by 2020 — yes, that year when paradise will come to earth if nations around the world all accomplish their visions. Now, it looks like there is even a "harmonious ranking" to help us measure how "harmonious" we are, and it has been created by Shanghai's very own East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST) [华东理工大学]. Out of a possible 100, Shanghai scored 84.97 points — the second highest among 30 domestic provincial capitals. Beijing topped the rankings, edging Shanghai to second spot with a score of 86.45 (Dang! Three cheers for Beijing!), but even harmonious Beijing is no match for Shenzhen which came in tops in a separate ranking for cities at 86.80 points.

The top 10 provinces are as follows: Beijing 86.45, Shanghai 84.97, Tianjin 75.39, Zhejiang, 68.18, Guangdong 67.90, Jiangsu 66.73, Liaoning 65.51, Fujian 64.59, Hainan 63.28, Shandong 63.21

And the top 20 cities: Shenzhen 86.80, Xiamen, 78.72, Hangzhou 78.31, Weihai 77.79, Nanjing 77.79, Jinan 77.73, Guangzhou 77.72, Shaoxing 77.69, Qingdao 77.50, Yantai 77.40, Chengdu 77.36, Fuzhou 77.35, Suzhou 77.19, Changsha 76.71, Dalian 76.04, Ningbo 75.66, Daqing 75.06, Shijiazhuang 74.89, Yangzhou 74.66, Guang'an 74.49

Shanghaiist applauds ECUST for making the concept of HARMONY as simple and measurable as Bhutan's theory of Gross National Happiness. Now we can get all the Chinese cities engaged in some healthy competition! ECUST's groundbreaking work will undoubtedly help them score some points in Jiaotong University's academic rankings next year!

We are curious to know how Hong Kong, Macau and "Chinese Taipei" stack up against their mainland counterparts, but ECUST's researchers did not explain their absence from the charts. Also, we wonder if we're all supposed to perfect score of 100 by the year 2020. Anything less than a perfect score would mean we've failed, no?

Related links
Shanghaiist: Paradise on earth by 2020?
Shanghai Daily: Shanghai scores high on harmony survey

Photo of your ubiquitous harmonious society poster by H@r@ld