Guangzhou, in China’s southern Guangdong province, has become university graduates’ favourite city in the country, Securities Times reported late last week.

China’s financial centre Shanghai and capital Beijing have become the graduates’ second and third choices this year, said a report on renting during the 2020 graduation season.

The report by the Beike Real Estate Research Institute, which is part of the real estate online brokerage Ke.com, reveals that graduates prefer to work and live in a relatively more comfortable urban environment with good public services and appropriate pressure.

The stable and cost-effective housing price is the most attractive reason for Chinese university students to choose Guangzhou after graduation as the housing prices in Guangzhou are the lowest among the four first-tier cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

Data from the National Bureau of Statistics show that new home prices in the four cities increased 0.7 per cent last month from April, after having inched up a mere 0.2 per cent from March.

The convenience index reflected by the number of convenience stores a city has is another consideration factor for graduates. In 2018, the number of convenience stores was 7,594 in Shanghai, 6,036 in Shenzhen, 4,960 in Guangzhou and 2,613 in Beijing were.

Although Shenzhen, South China’s Guangdong province, has the highest convenience index of 4.63, the housing price in the city surpasses Beijing and Shanghai, making it less competitive than other cities.

Guangzhou with a convenience index of 3.33 outweighs Shanghai and Beijing, with convenience indices of 3.13 and 1.21, respectively, in this round of competition. The city also has an open and inclusive culture and a relatively lower level of pressure.

About 66.7 per cent of surveyed respondents said the prospect of urban development is the first consideration for young graduates when choosing a city for employment, followed by high-quality job opportunities, said the report.

CHINA DAILY/ANN