China’s cities by the numbers
China is home to 687 cities. Thirty-six of them have more than one million residents, and four—Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen—sit at Tier 1 status. Start here to decode the hierarchy before mapping your campaign or itinerary.
687
Municipalities, sub-provincial, prefecture, county-level, and special jurisdictions.
36
China has the largest number of million-plus cities worldwide.
Understand the tier system
City “tiers” are shorthand used by marketers, retailers, and media planners. They combine GDP, population, consumer spend, infrastructure, and influence. Here’s how we break them down in 2025.
Tier 1 · National centres
Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen. Global connectivity, dual airports, stock exchanges, HQ clusters, culture.
New Tier 1 · High growth
Chengdu, Hangzhou, Chongqing, Xi’an, Suzhou, Wuhan, Tianjin, Nanjing, Zhengzhou, Ningbo, Qingdao, Changsha, Wuxi, Foshan, Dongguan. Rapidly expanding middle class and nightlife scenes.
Tier 2 · Provincial anchors
Provincial capitals and industrial bases such as Hefei, Kunming, Qingdao, Dalian, Xiamen—critical for manufacturing, auto, tech supply chains.
Tier 3 & 4 · Emerging
Smaller prefecture and county-level cities powering heritage tourism, specialist manufacturing, agritech, and cross-border trade.
| Category | Urban population | GDP influence | Key traits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | 15–25M | ≈30% of national retail | Global air links, dual airports, advanced services, regulatory pilots. |
| New Tier 1 | 7–15M | Fastest consumer growth | Night economy, venture funding, live entertainment, visa-on-arrival pilots. |
| Tier 2 | 3–7M | Regional GDP anchors | Manufacturing, logistics, government-led innovation zones. |
| Tier 3/4 | 0.5–3M | Niche economies | Specialised clusters (textiles, ceramics, tea, cultural parks, rural revitalisation). |
Urban clusters leading 2025 demand
Cluster marketing works better than a blanket national plan. Start with these country-sized metro regions.
Pearl River Delta
Guangzhou · Shenzhen · Foshan · Dongguan (plus Hong Kong/Macau). Hardware, finance, live events, 80M residents.
Yangtze River Delta
Shanghai · Suzhou · Hangzhou · Nanjing · Ningbo. Highest disposable income, strongest rail connectivity, luxury retail leader.
Locate the tier 1 & high-growth cities
Click markers to see population snapshots, tier tags, and quick business or travel tips. Use it to sketch campaign routes or multi-city itineraries.
Legend
- Tier 1 / New Tier 1
- Tier 2 hubs
Urbanisation signals for 2025
Manufacturing towns upgrade
Foshan, Dongguan, Wuxi, Ningbo invest in robotics, EVs, appliance brands—expect factory tours and B2B visits.
Culture & sports circuits
Xi’an, Chengdu, Changsha, Qingdao lead in music festivals, esports, stadium events—book venues early.
County-city renaissance
Anji (via Hangzhou), Dali, Yangshuo (Guilin), Zhangjiajie lure remote workers and boutique hotels—great for slow travel storytelling.
Frequently asked questions
What are “national central cities”?
Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Chongqing, Chengdu, Wuhan, Xi’an, and Zhengzhou are appointed to lead regional development and coordinate services.
How reliable are tier rankings?
They’re unofficial but widely used. Commercial rankers like Yicai, Tencent, and Cushman & Wakefield publish updates yearly, reflecting consumer and infrastructure changes.
Which city grows fastest right now?
Hefei, Dongguan, Foshan, Zhengzhou, and Ningbo lead 2024–25 GDP growth thanks to EV, chips, and logistics upgrades.
Where can foreigners travel easily?
Most prefecture-level cities now permit foreign guests in hotels, but always check the “Foreigner Friendly” toggle on Trip.com or our city playbooks.
Plan around China’s urban map
Grab the guides and tools you need to nail logistics, marketing, or travel content.
- Population update — align cities with population corridors.
- How big is China? — understand distances before building routes.
- Province guide — tie cities back to provincial policies.
- City playbooks — 50+ destinations with transport, visa, and booking hacks.