The first-tier cities (simplified Chinese: 一线城市; traditional Chinese: 一線城市; pinyin: yīxiàn chéngshì), or tier-1 cities, are the highest level cities in the unofficial urban classification system of the People's Republic of China. The most widely recognized first-tier cities in China mainland include Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen).[1][2][3]
In 2013, the Chinese financial magazine "CBN Weekly" proposed the concept of "new first-tier cities", which included 15 cities with the greatest potential to challenge the traditional first-tier cities.[4][5][6]
History
[edit]The tier-based classification of cities in China mainland originated in the estate market.[7] In the mid‑2000s, according to many media publications, it was understood that there were four tiers, and the consensus was that four cities belonged to Tier 1: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen (colloquially known as "Bei-Shang-Guang-Shen", Chinese: 北上广深).[6] First-tier cities represent the most developed areas of the country with the most affluent and sophisticated consumers. They are large, densely populated urban metropolises that have huge economic, cultural and political influence in China.
In 2013, the Chinese financial magazine "CBN Weekly" proposed the concept of "new first-tier cities". It ranked and classified 400 cities nationwide based on a combination of indicators including per capita income, educational resources, and the selection of large companies and brands. The 15 cities with the greatest potential to become traditional first-tier cities were designated as "new first-tier cities", i.e., quasi-first-tier cities.[4]
In 2017, there were 4 first-tier cities in the order of: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen; and 15 new first-tier cities in the order of: Chengdu, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Chongqing, Nanjing, Tianjin, Suzhou, Xi'an, Changsha, Shenyang, Qingdao, Zhengzhou, Dalian, Dongguan, Ningbo.[8]
In the ranking history so far, the four first‑tier cities remain Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. The "new first‑tier" ranking list is updated annually.[5][2]
In 2025, the order the 4 first-tier cities is "Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou"; followed by 15 new first‑tier cities (in the order of: "Chengdu, Hangzhou, Chongqing, Wuhan, Suzhou, Xi'an, Nanjing, Changsha, Zhengzhou, Tianjin, Hefei, Qingdao, Dongguan, Ningbo and Foshan").[5][2]
Criteria
[edit]The classification of first-tier cities relies on their economic competitiveness and the level of industrial and commercial development. In 2024 and 2025, Yicai (formerly CBN Weekly) used a system of five indexes:[5][2]
- Concentration of Commercial Resources Index,
- City as a Hub Index,
- Urban Residents' Activity Index,
- New Economy Competitiveness Index, and
- Future Potential Index.
In the past, the criterion of Lifestyle Diversity Index used to be used, including factors like the number of museums, cafes, consumption diversity, and the number of travel destinations.[2]
Traditional first-tier cities
[edit]The most widely recognized first-tier cities in mainland China include[3][2]
- Beijing (the capital),
- Shanghai (a municipality directly under the central government),
- Guangzhou (the capital of Guangdong Province), and
- Shenzhen (a special economic zone),
collectively known as "Bei-Shang-Guang-Shen". They are China's most economically developed and globally influential cities, with the characteristics of: high GDP, large population, advanced infrastructure, high living costs and property prices, strong consumer purchasing power, well-developed financial and information technology sectors, and large expatriate communities and international business presence.[3]
Since the 2010s, Guangdong Province, where Guangzhou and Shenzhen are located, along with Beijing and Shanghai, has ranked among the top three of the six provincial-level administrative regions that can provide fiscal surpluses to the central government. In 2016, Shanghai, Beijing, and Shenzhen provided the central government with a fiscal surplus of 1.6989 trillion yuan, more than half of the total fiscal surplus of 3.0373 trillion yuan from the six provinces and municipalities. These fiscal surpluses were used by the central government for fiscal transfer payments to 25 provinces and municipalities across the country to maintain the fiscal balance of local governments.[9]
An unofficial list published by the South China Morning Post ranks 613 Chinese cities on four tiers. This list uses a variety of parameters as the basis of classification: population size, GDP, and administrative hierarchy. The Tier 1 cities consisted of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Tianjin and Chongqing.[10]
New first-tier cities
[edit]The "Ranking of New First-Tier Cities" published by Yicai (formerly CBN Weekly) now ranks new first-tier cities based on five criteria: Concentration of Commercial Resources Index, City as a Hub Index, Urban Residents' Activity Index, New Economy Competitiveness Index, and Future Potential Index.[5][2]
The characteristics of the new first-tier cities include:[3] "Expanding middle-class consumer base; Rising investment in technology, innovation, and startups; Competitive salaries and business opportunities; Lower operational costs compared to first-tier cities."
In 2022, an article by the State Council Information Office of China ranked Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou as first-tier cities. And there were nine quasi first-tier cities including Chengdu, Hangzhou, Chongqing, Nanjing, Suzhou, Wuhan, Tianjin, Xiamen, and Xi'an.[23]
Other tiers
[edit]Some classify other municipalities, sub-provincial cities, provincial capitals, and economically developed prefecture-level cities as second- or third-tier cities, while classifying other ordinary prefecture-level cities and economically developed counties, county-level cities, and towns as fourth- or fifth-tier cities.[3]
There is a humorous self-deprecating term in online culture: "18th-tier city" or "18th-tier small city".[24][25]
See also
[edit]Criticism
[edit]Some critics say that the ranking harms lower-ranked cities, and favors large cities.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ "First-Tier Cities (一线城市)". Contextual Dictionary of Chinese Cultural Knowledge. Springer Nature. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Tier 1 Cities in China – Definition and Rankings". The Biggest Cities in China. August 22, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "City Tier System". FDI China. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
- ^ a b c "2013新城市排名出炉 辽宁俩城市跻身新一线城市 (2013 New City Rankings Released: Two Liaoning Cities Join the Ranks of New First-Tier Cities)" (in Chinese). Sina Liaoning News. Archived from the original on 2020-11-03. Retrieved 2018-08-24.
- ^ a b c d e "Chengdu, Hangzhou, 13 Others Rank as New First-Tier Chinese Cities in 2025". Yicai Global. May 28, 2025.
- ^ a b Kaifeng (2016-11-21). "北上广深，谁会被挤出一线城市？ (Which cities—Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen—will be squeezed out of the first-tier cities?)". cj.sina.com.cn (in Chinese). Retrieved 2026-01-31.
- ^ "城市等级 (City Tiers)". Encyclopedia of China (3rd edition) (in Chinese). Encyclopedia of China Publishing House. Retrieved 2026-02-02.
- ^ "Chinas Emerging Firsttier Cities Drive Urban Growth". ECER. 2025-07-11.
- ^ "重磅：神奇的财政平衡术，31省财政转移支付全景图 (Major News: The Amazing Art of Fiscal Balancing: A Panoramic View of Fiscal Transfer Payments in 31 Provinces)" (in Simplified Chinese). Sina.com. 2017-08-07. Archived from the original on 2018-04-30. Retrieved 2018-04-30.
- ^ Hernández, Marco. "China city tiers". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2018-04-01.
- ^ "2016中国城市商业魅力排行榜重磅发布：中国城市再分级 (The 2016 Ranking of Chinese Cities' Commercial Attractiveness has been released, reclassifying Chinese cities)". www.cbnweek.com (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2020-11-03. Retrieved 2018-08-24.
- ^ "2017城市商业魅力排行榜：15个"新一线"城市，你的家乡上榜了吗？ (2017 City Commercial Attractiveness Ranking: 15 "New First-Tier" Cities, Is Your Hometown on the List?)". news.ifeng.com (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2019-05-11. Retrieved 2018-08-24.
- ^ "2018中国城市商业魅力排行榜单及评选标准一览 (A list of the 2018 ranking of Chinese cities' commercial attractiveness and the selection criteria)". www.mrcjcn.com (in Chinese (China)). Archived from the original on 2020-11-06. Retrieved 2018-08-24.
- ^ People's Daily (2019-05-27). "2019城市商业魅力排行榜发布 (2019 City Commercial Attractiveness Ranking Released)". finance.sina.com.cn (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2020-11-03. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
- ^ "《2020城市商业魅力排行榜》 成都连续5年排名新一线城市榜首 (Chengdu ranked first among new first-tier cities for the fifth consecutive year in the "2020 City Commercial Attractiveness Ranking")". sc.people.com.cn (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2020-11-03. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
- ^ "2022新一线城市名单官宣：沈阳跌出，合肥重归新一线!（附最新1–5线城市完整名单）(The official list of new first-tier cities for 2022 has been announced: Shenyang has fallen out, while Hefei has returned to the new first-tier list! (See attached complete list of cities from tier 1 to 5))" (in Chinese). CBN. 2022-06-01. Archived from the original on 2024-08-12. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
- ^ "新一线城市名单官宣：沈阳跌出 合肥重归一线 (The list of new first-tier cities has been officially announced: Shenyang has fallen out, while Hefei has returned to the first tier)". China.com (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2022-06-01. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
- ^ "2023新一线城市名单官宣：昆明回归，青岛上升，北方城市仅占四席 (The official list of new first-tier cities for 2023 has been announced: Kunming returns, Qingdao rises, and northern cities only account for four spots)". China Central Television. 2023-05-30.
- ^ "2023城市商业魅力排行榜发布，昆明重回新一线 (The 2023 ranking of cities' commercial attractiveness has been released, with Kunming returning to the ranks of new first-tier cities)" (in Chinese). CBN. 2023-05-30. Archived from the original on 2024-06-29. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
- ^ "15 cities named as new first-tier cities in 2024". China Daily. 2024-05-30.
- ^ "2024新一线城市魅力排行榜最新发布：无锡回归，昆明再次跌出 (The latest 2024 ranking of the most attractive new first-tier cities has been released: Wuxi returns to the list, while Kunming falls out again)" (in Chinese). CBN. 2024-05-30. Archived from the original on 2024-12-13. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
- ^ "2025新一线城市官宣：佛山重回新一线 (Foshan is back to the new first-tier cities in 2025)". CBN. 2025-05-28.
- ^ "China Integrated City Index 2022: Core cities lead development of megalopolises". State Council Information Office of China. December 5, 2023.
- ^ "关于十八线城市，你要知道的一些东西 (Things You Need to Know About Eighteen-Tier Cities)" (in Simplified Chinese). NetEase. 2017-04-18. Archived from the original on 2019-05-10. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
- ^ "十八线小城市枣庄要逆袭了！连这你都不知道…… (Zaozhuang, a small, 18-tier city, is about to make a comeback! You didn't even know that…)" (in Simplified Chinese). Sohu.com. 2016-11-10. Archived from the original on 2020-06-20. Retrieved 2017-12-10.