These are Mainland China's premier cities and economic powerhouses, standing heads above the competition.
There are 4 cities in this tier.
▹ Beijing Municipality (北京市)
▹ Guangdong (广东)
▹ Shanghai Municipality (上海市)
This tier includes China's major "up and coming" cities which have undergone rapid urban development in recent years.
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.
