Having a life filled with romance is everyone's dream. Recently, Amazon China released a ranking of the most romantic cities on the Chinese mainland. Guangdong's Foshan tops the list, followed by Zhejiang's Ningbo and Guangdong's Dongguan.

The results show that southern China is far more romantic than its northern counterpart and the nation's smaller cities are much more passion-filled than the big ones. Among the top 30 cities, 60 percent are situated in the south.

In the traditional concept, there are more cultural activities and romantic events going on in the big cities, but the statistics now show us that the smaller cities are in fact more romantic to the heart and mind. Among the top 10 cities, 80 percent have a population of between 6 and 8 million and none exceeds 10 million. The residents there simply live less stressful lives and have more time on their hands to actually enjoy life.

Beijing, China's political and cultural center, Shanghai, widely regarded as a romantic city, and Guangzhou, a place to enjoy life, all failed to make the list, ranking 13th, 19th and 22nd respectively.

The ranking is based on the entire country's sales of love-, wedding- and romance-themed books, e-books and CDs in 2013.

The following are the top 10 most romantic Chinese cities.

 Dalian, Liaoning Province（遼寧大連）

Dalian, Liaoning Province [File photo]

Situated in the southernmost part of Liaoning Province, right on the peninsula separating the Bohai and Yellow seas, Dalian is one of China's most vibrant and modern cities. With its clean air, beautiful beaches and pleasant summertime temperatures, Dalian has become an ideal destination for those who want to escape the summer heat and the hustle and bustle in metropolises like Beijing and Shanghai.