As the capital of China’s Heilongjiang province, Harbin is a key political, economic and cultural centre in Northeast China.

Located in the centre of the Pearl River Delta (PRD), Zhuhai is one of China’s four original Special Economic Zones (SEZs) established in 1980.

With a population of over 25 million, Shanghai, often referred to as the ‘Paris of the east’, is the economic centre of China.

Since the Ming Dynasty, Wuxi has been an important rice and silk market and one of the main cultural centres of the south Yangtze region.

Haikou: An emerging industrial city Often referred to as the ‘coconut city’, Haikou is a prefecture-level city situated on the northern coast of Hainan

The biggest free trade port in Northern China, Dalian is a modernised international shipping metropolis serving as a gateway to Beijing and Tianjin.

Known as the ‘Venice of the East’, Suzhou is considered one of the richest major cities in China.

The capital of Zhejiang province, Hangzhou has historically been credited as being one of the most beautiful cities in China along with neighbouring Suzhou (上有天堂，下有苏杭– heaven is above, Suzhou and Hangzhou are below). Yao Lu from Dezan Shira & Associates takes a look at this…

Despite being the most remote city from any sea in the world, Urumqi thrived as a trading hub along the Silk Road during the Tang and Ming dynasties.

In addition to being Central China’s transportation hub, Wuhan in Hubei Province is recognised as the third largest technological and educational centre in China behind Beijing and Shanghai.