National central city
In China, a national central city is a municipality or city with regional, national, and international importance. There are nine national central cities: Beijing, Tianjin, Chongqing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Wuhan, Xi'an, and Zhengzhou.
As defined by the National Development and Reform Committee, national central cities are strategically located in the country, shoulder the national mission, lead regional development, participate in international competition, and represent the national image. This designation was formulated by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development in 2005 as a first step in reforming urbanization in China. The cities' hub activities or spheres of influence have great impact on their surrounding regions in modernizing and integrating services in various fields, including infrastructure, finance, public education, social welfare, sanitation, business licensing, and urban planning.
List
| Division | Native name | Total GDP | Per capita | Urban Population | Area | Density | Municipal Population | Economic zone | Region | Subdivisions |
| Beijing | 北京; | $443.8 billion | $20,446.58 | 18.76 million | 16,411 | 1,323 | 21.70 million | Bohai Economic Rim | North | List |
| Tianjin | 天津; | $294.7 billion | $19,452 | 12.91 million | 11,920 | 1,306 | 15.57 million | Bohai Economic Rim | North | List |
| Shanghai | 上海; | $477.63 billion | $19,750.5 | 21.21 million | 6,341 | 3,813.8 | 24.18 million | Yangtze River Delta Economic Zone | East | List |
| Chongqing | 重庆; | $309.1 billion | $9,433 | 19.71 million | 82,400 | 373.2 | 30.75 million | West Triangle Economic Zone | Southwest | List |
| Chengdu | 成都; | $273.8 billion | $16,515 | 11.54 million | 14,378 | 650 | 9.14 million | West Triangle Economic Zone | Southwest | List |
| Xi'an | 西安; | $118.4 billion | $12,055.41 | 5.9 million | 10,135 | 893.6 | 9.06 million | West Triangle Economic Zone | Northwest | |
| Guangzhou | 广州; | $341 billion | $22,317 | 12.49 million | 7,434 | 1,950.2 | 14.50 million | Pearl River Delta Economic Zone | South | List |
| Wuhan | 武汉; | $212.6 billion | $19,627.7 | 8.72 million | 8,494 | 1,282 | 10.89 million | Yangtze River Midstream Economic Zone | Central | |
| Zhengzhou | 郑州; | $144.7 billion | $14,276.13 | 7.14 million | 7,446 | 1,327 | 9.88 million | Zhongyuan Economic Zone | Central |