The Chinese have made clear demarcations on their cities based on their GDP, their population and other criteria. I recently received the recommendation that when I will go there and bring my family, it would be more comfortable to goto a Tier 1 or Tier 2 city.
Total number of Chinese Cities listed 655 Cities
Tier 1 [3 Cities] 2009 statistics
1 - Shanghai, GDP 228 Billion USD (1US$=6.6RMB) and a population of 14 million
2 - Beijing, GDP 184 Billion USD (1US$=6.6RMB) and a population of 12.5 million
3 - Guangzhou, GDP 138 Billion USD (1US$=6.6RMB) and a population of 10 million.
Tier 2 [15 Cities]
1 - Chengdu, Sichuan
2 - Chongqing
3 - Dalian, Liaoning
4 - Hangzhou, Zhejiang
5 - Ningbo,
Zhejiang
6 - Kunming, Yunnan
7 - Nanjing, Jiangsu
8 - Suzhou, Jiangsu
9 - Qingdao,
Shandong
10 - Tianjin
11 - Shenzhen, Guangdong
12 - Zhuhai, Guangdong
13 - Wuhan, Hubei
14 - Xiamen,
Fujian
15 - Xi'an, Shaanxi
Tier 3 [637 Cities]
...
Depending on where you look, you may also find cities classified as Tier 4 & 5 too!
There are 4 National City Centers that report directly to the Central Government
1 - Shanghai
2 - Beijing
3 - Tianjin
4 - Chongqing
My direction is Shanghai (Tier 1), Shenzhen (Tier 2), or Beijing (Tier 1). Hold on! Hong Kong is not listed!
