Online retailer Amazon names Zhengzhou in Henan Province as the most romantic Chinese city of 2015. [Photo: henan.qq.com]

Online retailer Amazon China unveiled its annual list of most romantic cities on Thursday, with Zhengzhou in Henan Province declared the most romantic Chinese city of 2015.

According to Amazon, Zhengzhou led the country in the proportion of books on the topics of love, marriage and romance purchased last year.

Cities of Erdos and Baotou, both in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, ranked second and third.

Among the top ten, northern Chinese cities outnumbered southern for the first time.

"The result does not necessarily mean that northern Chinese are more romantic than their southern counterparts. The ranking reflects many factors, not just the atmosphere of a city," said Shi Jianjun, vice-president of Amazon China.

China's four first-tier cities -- Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen -- did not feature in the top 40.

Amazon said it appears that residents in smaller cities are under less pressure and have more leisure time to enjoy romantic literature.