Explaining China’s City Tier System

To organize a vast and complex system of cities, from major metropolises such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, to small rural cities that number in the hundreds, China devised an unofficial city tier system to organize its vast landscape according to the cities’ level of development.
Understanding a city’s level of importance in terms of its size, development, prominence, and significance from the governmental, commercial, transportation, and cultural weight each carries for China can help you with your research and planning for doing business in China.
China’s explosive urban growth and development over the last 20 years has brought about a system of classifying its cities according to their level of development. The China city tier system is a quick and convenient way to begin research for possible locations in which to do business. It is important to note that the system is not an official Chinese government classification, rather a China city tier system that originated as an outgrowth of a Global Report from Yicai, a top media group in China. An exception to note is that not all cities fall into the classification system, such as municipalities that are considered county level cities.
As part of our ongoing commitment to providing valuable information to small- and medium businesses seeking to start or extend a relationship with a Chinese entity, Nuna Network has put together this handy article and accompanying chart to help guide you through your research, identification and validation process.
China City Tiers: Summary
There are five primary China City Tiers:
- China Tier One Cities span 10 provinces and 2 municipalities (Tianjin & Chongqing). Ten of these fifteen China Tier One cities are provincial capitals. Cities in this category are the largest and most developed, and are of primary importance to China because of their role in government, commerce, transportation, or culture.
- China Tier Two Cities span 18 provinces and include among them 13 provincial capitals. Most of the cities in this category are clustered in the eastern part of China, with one exception: Urumqi, the provincial capital of the Xinjiang province, is located in China’s far western region.
- China Tier Three Cities span 23 provinces and include 3 provincial capitals located in Qinghai (Xining), Inner Mongolia (Hohhot), and Ningxia (Yinchuan). A few of the cities in this category are located in China’s inland provinces such as Anhui, Henan, Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi.
- China Tier Four Cities span 20 provinces. No city in this category is a provincial capital.
- China Tier Five Cities span 23 provinces and includes Lhasa, the provincial capital of Tibet. These cities are generally less developed than cities in tiers one through four. Cities in this category, though, represent a slightly more even geographic distribution, with representation in China’s interior, far western, and northeastern regions.
China City Tiers: Premier Cities
Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen rank as premier China Tier 1 Cities given their size, prominence, and importance from the governmental, commercial, transportation, and cultural weight each carries for China. The list below indicates each premier China Tier 1 Cities and its municipality or province:
- Beijing (北京, Beijing Municipality)
- Guangzhou (广州, Guangdong Province)
- Shanghai (上海, Shanghai Municipality)
- Shenzhen (深圳, Guangdong Province)
China Tier 1 Cities
China Tier One City Name in English | China Tier One City Name in Chinese | China Tier One City: Province or Municipality |
---|---|---|
Changsha | 长沙 | Hunan |
Chengdu | 成都 | Sichuan |
Chongqing | 重庆 | Chongqing Municipality |
Dongguan | 东莞 | Guangdong |
Hangzhou | 杭州 | Zhejiang |
Nanjing | 南京 | Jiangsu |
Ningbo | 宁波 | Zhejiang |
Qingdao | 青岛 | Shandong |
Shenyang | 沈阳 | Liaoning |
Suzhou | 苏州 | Jiangsu |
Tianjin | 天津 | Tianjin Municipality |
Wuhan | 武汉 | Hubei |
Wuxi | 无锡 | Jiangsu |
Xi'an | 西安 | Shaanxi |
Zhengzhou | 郑州 | Henan |
China Tier 2 Cities
China Tier Two City Name in English | China Tier Two City Name in Chinese | China Tier Two City: Province or Municipality |
---|---|---|
Baoding | 保定 | Hebei |
Changchun | 长春 | Jilin |
Changzhou | 常州 | Jiangsu |
Dalian | 大连 | Liaoning |
Foshan | 佛山 | Guangdong |
Fuzhou | 福州 | Fujian |
Guiyang | 贵阳 | Guizhou |
Harbin | 哈尔滨 | Heilongjiang |
Hefei | 合肥 | Anhui |
Huizhou | 惠州 | Guangdong |
Jiaxing | 嘉兴 | Zhejiang |
Jinan | 济南 | Shandong |
Jinhua | 金华 | Zhejiang |
Kunming | 昆明 | Yunnan |
Lanzhou | 兰州 | Gansu |
Nanchang | 南昌 | Jiangxi |
Nanning | 南宁 | Guangxi |
Nantong | 南通 | Jiangsu |
Quanzhou | 泉州 | Fujian |
Shaoxing | 绍兴 | Zhejiang |
Shijiazhuang | 石家庄 | Hebei |
Taiyuan | 太原 | Shanxi |
Taizhou | 台州 | Zhejiang |
Urumqi | 乌鲁木齐 | Xinjiang |
Weifang | 潍坊 | Shandong |
Wenzhou | 温州 | Zhejiang |
Xiamen | 厦门 | Fujian |
Xuzhou | 徐州 | Jiangsu |
Yantai | 烟台 | Shandong |
Zhongshan | 中山 | Guangdong |
China Tier 3 Cities
China Tier Three City Name in English | China Tier Three City Name in Chinese | China Tier Three City: Province or Municipality |
---|---|---|
Bengbu | 蚌埠 | Anhui |
Chuzhou | 滁州 | Anhui |
Fuyang | 阜阳 | Anhui |
Tongling | 铜陵 | Anhui |
Wuhu | 芜湖 | Anhui |
Ningde | 宁德 | Fujian |
Putian | 莆田 | Fujian |
Zhangzhou | 漳州 | Fujian |
Chaozhou | 潮州 | Guangdong |
Jiangmen | 江门 | Guangdong |
Jieyang | 揭阳 | Guangdong |
Shantou | 汕头 | Guangdong |
Zhanjiang | 湛江 | Guangdong |
Zhaoqing | 肇庆 | Guangdong |
Zhuhai | 珠海 | Guangdong |
Guilin | 桂林 | Guangxi |
Liuzhou | 柳州 | Guangxi |
Zunyi | 遵义 | Guizhou |
Haikou | 海口 | Hainan |
Sanya | 三亚 | Hainan |
Cangzhou | 沧州 | Hebei |
Handan | 邯郸 | Hebei |
Langfang | 廊坊 | Hebei |
Qinhuangdao | 秦皇岛 | Hebei |
Tangshan | 唐山 | Hebei |
Xingtai | 邢台 | Hebei |
Daqing | 大庆 | Heilongjiang |
Luoyang | 洛阳 | Henan |
Nanyang | 南阳 | Henan |
Shangqiu | 商丘 | Henan |
Xinxiang | 新乡 | Henan |
Xinyang | 信阳 | Henan |
Xuchang | 许昌 | Henan |
Zhumadian | 驻马店 | Henan |
Huanggang | 黄冈 | Hubei |
Jingzhou | 荆州 | Hubei |
Xiangyang | 襄阳 | Hubei |
Yichang | 宜昌 | Hubei |
Changde | 常德 | Hunan |
Hengyang | 衡阳 | Hunan |
Xiangtan | 湘潭 | Hunan |
Yueyang | 岳阳 | Hunan |
Zhuzhou | 株洲 | Hunan |
Baotou | 包头 | Inner Mongolia |
Hohhot | 呼和浩特 | Mongolia |
Huai'an | 淮安 | Jiangsu |
Lianyungang | 连云港 | Jiangsu |
Suqian | 宿迁 | Jiangsu |
Taizhou | 泰州 | Jiangsu |
Yancheng | 盐城 | Jiangsu |
Yangzhou | 扬州 | Jiangsu |
Zhenjiang | 镇江 | Jiangsu |
Ganzhou | 赣州 | Jiangxi |
Jiujiang | 九江 | Jiangxi |
Shangrao | 上饶 | Jiangxi |
Yichun | 宜春 | Jiangxi |
Jilin | 吉林 | Jilin |
Anshan | 鞍山 | Liaoning |
Yinchuan | 银川 | Ningxia |
Xining | 西宁 | Qinghai |
Xianyang | 咸阳 | Shaanxi |
Heze | 菏泽 | Shandong |
Jining | 济宁 | Shandong |
Linyi | 临沂 | Shandong |
Weihai | 威海 | Shandong |
Zibo | 淄博 | Shandong |
Deyang | 德阳 | Sichuan |
Mianyang | 绵阳 | Sichuan |
Qujing | 曲靖 | Yunnan |
Huzhou | 湖州 | Zhejiang |
China Tier 4 Cities
China Tier Four City Name in English | China Tier Four City Name in Chinese | China Tier Four City: Province or Municipality |
---|---|---|
Anqing | 安庆 | Anhui |
Bozhou | 亳州 | Anhui |
Huainan | 淮南 | Anhui |
Huangshan | 黄山 | Anhui |
Lu'an | 六安 | Anhui |
Ma'anshan | 马鞍山 | Anhui |
Suzhou | 宿州 | Anhui |
Xuancheng | 宣城 | Anhui |
Longyan | 龙岩 | Fujian |
Nanping | 南平 | Fujian |
Sanming | 三明 | Fujian |
Heyuan | 河源 | Guangdong |
Maoming | 茂名 | Guangdong |
Meizhou | 梅州 | Guangdong |
Qingyuan | 清远 | Guangdong |
Shanwei | 汕尾 | Guangdong |
Shaoguan | 韶关 | Guangdong |
Yangjiang | 阳江 | Guangdong |
Beihai | 北海 | Guangxi |
Yulin | 玉林 | Guangxi |
Anshun | 安顺 | Guizhou |
Bijie | 毕节 | Guizhou |
Qiandongnan | 黔东南 | Guizhou |
Qiannan | 黔南 | Guizhou |
Tongren | 铜仁 | Guizhou |
Chengde | 承德 | Hebei |
Hengshui | 衡水 | Hebei |
Zhangjiakou | 张家口 | Hebei |
Jiamusi | 佳木斯 | Heilongjiang |
Mudanjiang | 牡丹江 | Heilongjiang |
Qiqihar | 齐齐哈尔 | Heilongjiang |
Anyang | 安阳 | Henan |
Jiaozuo | 焦作 | Henan |
Kaifeng | 开封 | Henan |
Luohe | 漯河 | Henan |
Pingdingshan | 平顶山 | Henan |
Puyang | 濮阳 | Henan |
Zhoukou | 周口 | Henan |
Huangshi | 黄石 | Hubei |
Shiyan | 十堰 | Hubei |
Xianning | 咸宁 | Hubei |
Xiaogan | 孝感 | Hubei |
Chenzhou | 郴州 | Hunan |
Huaihua | 怀化 | Hunan |
Loudi | 娄底 | Hunan |
Shaoyang | 邵阳 | Hunan |
Yiyang | 益阳 | Hunan |
Yongzhou | 永州 | Hunan |
Chifeng | 赤峰 | Inner Mongolia |
Hulun Buir | 呼伦贝尔 | Inner Mongolia |
Ordos | 鄂尔多斯 | Inner Mongolia |
Tongliao | 通辽 | Inner Mongolia |
Fuzhou | 抚州 | Jiangxi |
Ji'an | 吉安 | Jiangxi |
Songyuan | 松原 | Jilin |
Tonghua | 通化 | Jilin |
Yanbian | 延边 | Jilin |
Dandong | 丹东 | Liaoning |
Fushun | 抚顺 | Liaoning |
Jinzhou | 锦州 | Liaoning |
Panjin | 盘锦 | Liaoning |
Yingkou | 营口 | Liaoning |
Baoji | 宝鸡 | Shaanxi |
Weinan | 渭南 | Shaanxi |
Yulin | 榆林 | Shaanxi |
Binzhou | 滨州 | Shandong |
Dezhou | 德州 | Shandong |
Dongying | 东营 | Shandong |
Liaocheng | 聊城 | Shandong |
Rizhao | 日照 | Shandong |
Tai'an | 泰安 | Shandong |
Zaozhuang | 枣庄 | Shandong |
Datong | 大同 | Shanxi |
Jinzhong | 晋中 | Shanxi |
Linfen | 临汾 | Shanxi |
Yuncheng | 运城 | Shanxi |
Leshan | 乐山 | Sichuan |
Luzhou | 泸州 | Sichuan |
Meishan | 眉山 | Sichuan |
Nanchong | 南充 | Sichuan |
Neijiang | 内江 | Sichuan |
Suining | 遂宁 | Sichuan |
Yibin | 宜宾 | Sichuan |
Dali | 大理 | Yunnan |
Honghe | 红河 | Yunnan |
Lijiang | 丽江 | Yunnan |
Yuxi | 玉溪 | Yunnan |
Lishui | 丽水 | Zhejiang |
Quzhou | 衢州 | Zhejiang |
Zhoushan | 舟山 | Zhejiang |
China Tier 5 Cities
China Tier Five City Name in English | China Tier Five City Name in Chinese | China Tier Five City: Province or Municipality |
---|---|---|
Chizhou | 池州 | Anhui |
Huaibei | 淮北 | Anhui |
Baiyin | 白银 | Gansu |
Dingxi | 定西 | Gansu |
Gannan | 甘南 | Gansu |
Jiayuguan | 嘉峪关 | Gansu |
Jinchang | 金昌 | Gansu |
Jiuquan | 酒泉 | Gansu |
Linxia | 临夏 | Gansu |
Longnan | 陇南 | Gansu |
Pingliang | 平凉 | Gansu |
Qingyang | 庆阳 | Gansu |
Tianshui | 天水 | Gansu |
Wuwei | 武威 | Gansu |
Zhangye | 张掖 | Gansu |
Yunfu | 云浮 | Guangdong |
Baise | 百色 | Guangxi |
Chongzuo | 崇左 | Guangxi |
Fangchenggang | 防城港 | Guangxi |
Guigang | 贵港 | Guangxi |
Hechi | 河池 | Guangxi |
Hezhou | 贺州 | Guangxi |
Laibin | 来宾 | Guangxi |
Qinzhou | 钦州 | Guangxi |
Wuzhou | 梧州 | Guangxi |
Liupanshui | 六盘水 | Guizhou |
Qianxinan | 黔西南 | Guizhou |
Danzhou | 儋州 | Hainan |
Sansha | 三沙 | Hainan |
Da Hinggan Ling | 大兴安岭 | Heilongjiang |
Hegang | 鹤岗 | Heilongjiang |
Heihe | 黑河 | Heilongjiang |
Jixi | 鸡西 | Heilongjiang |
Qitaihe | 七台河 | Heilongjiang |
Shuangyashan | 双鸭山 | Heilongjiang |
Suihua | 绥化 | Heilongjiang |
Yichun | 伊春 | Heilongjiang |
Hebi | 鹤壁 | Henan |
Sanmenxia | 三门峡 | Henan |
Enshi | 恩施 | Hubei |
Ezhou | 鄂州 | Hubei |
Jingmen | 荆门 | Hubei |
Suizhou | 随州 | Hubei |
Xiangxi | 湘西 | Hunan |
Zhangjiajie | 张家界 | Hunan |
Alxa | 阿拉善 | Inner Mongolia |
Bayan Nur | 巴彦淖尔 | Inner Mongolia |
Hinggan | 兴安 | Inner Mongolia |
Ulanqab | 乌兰察布 | Inner Mongolia |
Wuhai | 乌海 | Inner Mongolia |
Xilin Gol | 锡林郭勒 | Inner Mongolia |
Jingdezhen | 景德镇 | Jiangxi |
Pingxiang | 萍乡 | Jiangxi |
Xinyu | 新余 | Jiangxi |
Yingtan | 鹰潭 | Jiangxi |
Baicheng | 白城 | Jilin |
Baishan | 白山 | Jilin |
Liaoyuan | 辽源 | Jilin |
Siping | 四平 | Jilin |
Benxi | 本溪 | Liaoning |
Chaoyang | 朝阳 | Liaoning |
Fuxin | 阜新 | Liaoning |
Huludao | 葫芦岛 | Liaoning |
Liaoyang | 辽阳 | Liaoning |
Tieling | 铁岭 | Liaoning |
Guyuan | 固原 | Ningxia |
Shizuishan | 石嘴山 | Ningxia |
Wuzhong | 吴忠 | Ningxia |
Zhongwei | 中卫 | Ningxia |
Golog | 果洛 | Qinghai |
Haibei | 海北 | Qinghai |
Haidong | 海东 | Qinghai |
Hainan | 海南 | Qinghai |
Haixi | 海西 | Qinghai |
Huangnan | 黄南 | Qinghai |
Yushu | 玉树 | Qinghai |
Ankang | 安康 | Shaanxi |
Hanzhong | 汉中 | Shaanxi |
Shangluo | 商洛 | Shaanxi |
Tongchuan | 铜川 | Shaanxi |
Yan'an | 延安 | Shaanxi |
Laiwu | 莱芜 | Shandong |
Changzhi | 长治 | Shanxi |
Jincheng | 晋城 | Shanxi |
Lvliang | 吕梁 | Shanxi |
Shuozhou | 朔州 | Shanxi |
Xinzhou | 忻州 | Shanxi |
Yangquan | 阳泉 | Shanxi |
Aba | 阿坝 | Sichuan |
Bazhong | 巴中 | Sichuan |
Dazhou | 达州 | Sichuan |
Garze | 甘孜 | Sichuan |
Guang'an | 广安 | Sichuan |
Guangyuan | 广元 | Sichuan |
Liangshan | 凉山 | Sichuan |
Panzhihua | 攀枝花 | Sichuan |
Ya'an | 雅安 | Sichuan |
Zigong | 自贡 | Sichuan |
Ziyang | 资阳 | Sichuan |
Lhasa | 拉萨 | Tibet |
Nagqu | 那曲 | Tibet |
Ngari | 阿里 | Tibet |
Nyingchi | 林芝 | Tibet |
Qamdo | 昌都 | Tibet |
Shannan | 山南 | Tibet |
Xigaze | 日喀则 | Tibet |
Aksu | 阿克苏 | Xinjiang |
Altay | 阿勒泰 | Xinjiang |
Bayingol | 巴音郭楞 | Xinjiang |
Bortala | 博尔塔拉 | Xinjiang |
Changji | 昌吉 | Xinjiang |
Hotan | 和田 | Xinjiang |
Ili | 伊犁 | Xinjiang |
Karamay | 克拉玛依 | Xinjiang |
Kaxgar | 喀什 | Xinjiang |
Kizilsu | 克孜勒苏 | Xinjiang |
Kumul | 哈密 | Xinjiang |
Tacheng | 塔城 | Xinjiang |
Turpan | 吐鲁番 | Xinjiang |
Baoshan | 保山 | Yunnan |
Chuxiong | 楚雄 | Yunnan |
Dehong | 德宏 | Yunnan |
Deqen | 迪庆 | Yunnan |
Lincang | 临沧 | Yunnan |
Nujiang | 怒江 | Yunnan |
Pu'er | 普洱 | Yunnan |
Wenshan | 文山 | Yunnan |
Xishuangbanna | 西双版纳 | Yunnan |
Zhaotong | 昭通 | Yunnan |
Additional Resources
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