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.

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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:

1. Beijing (北京, Beijing Municipality)
2. Guangzhou (广州, Guangdong Province)
3. Shanghai (上海, Shanghai Municipality)
4. Shenzhen (深圳, Guangdong Province)

China Tier 1 Cities

China Tier 2 Cities

China Tier 3 Cities

China Tier 4 Cities

China Tier 5 Cities

Additional Resources

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