This tier includes China's major "up and coming" cities which have undergone rapid urban development in recent years.
There are 15 cities in this tier.
▹ Hunan (湖南)
▹ Sichuan (四川)
▹ Chongqing Municipality (重庆市)
▹ Guangdong (广东)
▹ Zhejiang (浙江)
▹ Jiangsu (江苏)
▹ Shandong (山东)
▹ Liaoning (辽宁)
▹ Tianjin Municipality (天津市)
▹ Hubei (湖北)
▹ Shaanxi (陕西)
▹ Henan (河南)
These are Mainland China's premier cities and economic powerhouses, standing heads above the competition.
Cities in this tier are considered to be important economic cities and includes many provincial capitals.
This tier typically includes regional hub cities with significant economic activity.
These are typically regional cities with moderate levels of economic activity.
These cities are in the lowest tier and are typically smaller cities with lower levels of economic activity.
