In 2005, Beijing placed 15th, falling from 4th place in 2004. The survey, organized by a local consultant company, collected data from 2,553 participants from 20 cities across the country.

Beijing, the city slated to host the 2008 summer Olympic games, also placed second overall behind Tianjin in a separate survey that measured people's perceptions of a city's general sophistication and resident's general manners and behavior. Survey respondents evaluated such behavior as spitting in the street, rude speech, cutting in line and visible advertisements.

Advertisements, such as billboards and illegally posted papers on city property and roads are branded as 'city psoriasis' in China. Beijing is plagued by the 'disease', which tarnishes the city's image.

According to a Xinhua News Agency report, the local municipality is stepping up efforts to clamp down on those posting the ubiquitous advertisements, but there are no effective measures in place to fight the misconduct so far.

Large cities such as Shanghai, Guangzhou and Tianjin also scored badly on the surveys.

Experts say the listings indicate that although big cities mean more development and opportunities for citizens, they score low in living and housing conditions as well as in environment and transportation.