Nanping is a prefecture-level city in Fujian Province, China, located in the northern part of Fujian Province at the junction of Fujian, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi provinces. The city covers a total area of 26,300 square kilometers, making it the largest prefecture-level city in Fujian Province by area. As of 2023, Nanping has a permanent population of 2.63 million. The city has over 4,000 years of history and is one of the birthplaces of Fujian culture. Nanping was established as a prefecture-level city in 1994.

Changsha City, also known as Star City, is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Hunan Province and the provincial capital. It is located in the eastern part of Hunan Province, in the lower reaches of the Xiangjiang River and the western edge of the Changsha-Liuyang Basin. It is an important central city in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, a national historical and cultural city, and a national comprehensive transportation hub city.

Ningbo, abbreviated as "Yong", is a prefecture-level city, a sub-provincial city, and a state-planned city under the jurisdiction of Zhejiang Province [127]. It was formerly known as Siming and Mingzhou [234]. It is located in the northeastern coastal area of ​​Zhejiang Province [188]. The terrain is high in the southwest and low in the northeast. It is mainly plains and low mountains and hills. It has a subtropical monsoon climate [201]. As of the end of 2024, Ningbo has jurisdiction over 6 districts, 2 counties, and 2 county-level cities, with a total area of ​​9,816 square kilometers and a permanent population of 9.777 million [75] [229] [231]. Ningbo is a national historical and cultural city [1] and the cultural capital of East Asia. It has prospered because of its port since ancient times. It is the starting point of the "Maritime Silk Road" and one of the earliest cities in China to open ports [203]. It gave birth to the Siming School, Yangming School, and Zhejiang School. Ningbo Tianyi Pavilion is the oldest existing library in Asia [192] [236]. The Ningbo Gang is the largest business gang in modern China [198]. The number of Ningbo-born academicians ranks first in the country [195-196]. Ningbo's history can be traced back to the Hemudu culture 7,000 years ago. The Jingtoushan site pushes the history of Ningbo's humanities back to more than 8,000 years ago. In the first year of the Changqing period of the Tang Dynasty (821), the Mingzhou prefecture was moved to Sanjiangkou and a sub-city was built, marking the beginning of the construction of Ningbo. In the 14th year of the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty (1381), it was renamed Ningbo, which means "when the sea is calm, the waves are calm" [202]. Ningbo is an important central city in the Yangtze River Delta region, a modern marine city, a national comprehensive transportation hub, a national advanced manufacturing base, a regional science and technology innovation highland, a national shipping and logistics center, an important node city for the "Belt and Road" port and shipping cooperation [1], an important member of the Shanghai metropolitan area [131], the first National Civilized City [239], the first pilot demonstration city of Made in China 2025 [110], and has the world's third largest container port and the world's largest port in terms of cargo throughput, Ningbo-Zhoushan Port [205]. Ningbo has formed a modern industrial system dominated by digital industries, green petrochemicals, and high-end equipment, with new functional materials, new energy, key basic components, smart home appliances, fashion textiles and clothing, and modern health as its features, as well as a number of emerging and future industrial clusters with forward-looking layout [235]. In 2024, Ningbo's GDP will be 1,814.77 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.4%.

Hangzhou City, referred to as "Hangzhou", was formerly known as Lin'an, Qiantang, and Wulin. It is a prefecture-level city, provincial capital, sub-provincial city, and megacity under the jurisdiction of Zhejiang Province. It is located in the northern part of Zhejiang Province and the lower reaches of the Qiantang River. It is a city in the central area of ​​the Yangtze River Delta [160] and a global financial technology center [162-164]. As of the end of 2024, Hangzhou City has 10 districts, 2 counties, and administers 1 county-level city, with a total area of ​​16,850 square kilometers. As of the end of 2024, the permanent population of Hangzhou City is 12.624 million. [170] Hangzhou City has a subtropical monsoon climate with distinct four seasons, sufficient sunshine, abundant rainfall, short spring and autumn, and long winter and summer. The terrain of the city gradually decreases from west to east, with low mountains and hills, river valley basins, and accumulation plains. [140] [143] After the Qin Dynasty unified the six kingdoms, it established a county seat at the foot of Lingyin Mountain, called Qiantang. In 589, Qiantang County was abolished and Hangzhou was established. The name Hangzhou appeared for the first time in history. In 1912, the former Qiantang and Renhe counties were merged into Hangzhou County. In 1927, Hangzhou City was established by dividing the urban area of ​​Hangzhou County and other areas. [144] Hangzhou City is an important central city in eastern China approved by the State Council, a national historical and cultural city, an international comprehensive transportation hub city, a national digital economy innovation center and a regional science and technology innovation highland, an advanced manufacturing base, an eastern modern service industry center, and an international tourist destination. [1] [147] Hangzhou is known as the "paradise on earth" for its beautiful scenery, represented by the West Lake culture, Qiantang River culture, and canal culture. [145] The excavation of the Kuahuqiao site in Hangzhou City shows that humans have lived and multiplied here as early as more than 8,000 years ago. The Liangzhu culture, which dates back more than 5,000 years, is known as the "dawn of Chinese civilization." Hangzhou City is an important birthplace of Chinese civilization and is known as the "famous county in the southeast." The Wuyue Kingdom of the Five Dynasties and the Southern Song Dynasty established their capitals in Hangzhou. [144] In 2024, Hangzhou's GDP will reach RMB 2,186 billion, a year-on-year increase of 4.7%.

Jinan, abbreviated as "Ji", also known as "Spring City", [129] is a prefecture-level city, [4] provincial capital, sub-provincial city, [76] megacity under the jurisdiction of Shandong Province. It is located in the central part of Shandong Province and ranks fourth in Shandong Province in terms of population. [155] Its geographical location is between 36°02′～37°54′N and 116°21′～117°93′E. [76] Jinan is an important central city in the Yellow River Basin approved by the State Council, a national historical and cultural city, a national comprehensive transportation hub city, a northern advanced manufacturing base, a northern trade and logistics center, and a regional highland for scientific and technological innovation. [128] As of April 2024, the city has 10 districts and 2 counties, with a total area of ​​10,244.45 square kilometers. The Municipal People's Government is located at No. 1, Longding Avenue, Lixia District. [34] As of the end of 2024, the permanent population of Jinan is 9.515 million. [160] The Jinan dialect belongs to Ji-Lu Mandarin. [93] [110] Jinan is located at the junction of low mountains and hills in the south-central part of Shandong and alluvial plains in the northwest of Shandong. [76] It has a warm temperate continental monsoon climate. [126] The landform types are mainly low mountains, hills, plains and low-lying areas along the Yellow River. [78] There are many springs and abundant water, which is known as a natural karst spring museum. [130] In the early Neolithic period, the ancestors of Jinan had already lived and multiplied here. Jinan County was established in the Western Han Dynasty. In the Sui Dynasty, counties were abolished and Qizhou was still governed by Jinan, and governed 10 counties including Licheng. During the Tianbao period in the middle of the Tang Dynasty, Qizhou was once renamed Linzi County and Jinan County. In the early Ming Dynasty, it was renamed Jinan Prefecture. In the early Qing Dynasty, it was established along the lines of the Ming Dynasty. In the early years of the Republic of China, Jinan Prefecture was abolished and Daibei Road was established, governing 27 counties. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, Licheng County was transferred to Jinan City in 1958. In February 1994, it became a sub-provincial city.

Wenzhou is a prefecture-level city in Zhejiang Province, China, located in the southeastern part of Zhejiang Province. The city borders the East China Sea to the east and covers a land area of 12,102.65 square kilometers with a coastline of 514 kilometers. As of 2024, Wenzhou has a permanent population of 9.852 million. The city has over 2,000 years of history and is an important regional center city in southeastern China, known as a national demonstration city for private economy and a comprehensive transportation hub city.

Taiyuan City, abbreviated as "Bing", was called Jinyang in ancient times, and is also known as Bingzhou and Longcheng. [130] It is a prefecture-level city, provincial capital, and Type I large city under the jurisdiction of Shanxi Province, China. [131] [284] It is located in the central part of Shanxi Province and the northern end of the Jinzhong Basin. The city is located between 111°30'~113°09' east longitude and 37°27~38°25' north latitude. The total area is 6,988 square kilometers, accounting for about 4.5% of the total area of ​​Shanxi Province. [133] As of the end of 2022, the city's permanent population is 5.435 million. [132] As of the end of 2023, Taiyuan City has 6 districts, 3 counties, and 1 city under its jurisdiction. [135] The Municipal People's Government is located at No. 69, Xinjian Road, Taiyuan City. [136] The Taiyuan dialect belongs to the Taiyuan dialect of the Central District of Shanxi dialect. [174] Taiyuan City is surrounded by mountains on the east, west and north, and the Fenhe River valley plain is in the central and southern parts. The entire terrain is high in the north and low in the south. [134] Located in the interior of the continent, it has a warm temperate continental monsoon climate, with cold winters and hot summers, short springs and autumns, large temperature differences between day and night, and little and concentrated precipitation. [263] The discovery of the "Gujiao Paleolithic Cultural Site" shows that humans have lived in the Taiyuan area as early as 100,000 years ago. In ancient times, it belonged to Jizhou. [130] The Qin Dynasty established Taiyuan County in Jinyang, marking the beginning of the establishment of Taiyuan County. In 1948, the Chinese People's Liberation Army successively liberated various counties in Jinzhong and marched to the gates of Taiyuan. On October 17, the Taiyuan Municipal Government was established in Yuci. On March 1 of the following year, the Taiyuan Municipal Government and the Jinzhong Administrative Office merged to form the Taiyuan Municipal Government. On September 1, 1949, the Shanxi Provincial People's Government was established and Taiyuan City was changed to a provincial-level city. [140] [141] Taiyuan is an important central city in central China approved by the State Council, a national historical and cultural city, a national comprehensive transportation hub, and an advanced manufacturing base in North China [253]. It also has a national-level Jinzhong Cultural Ecological Protection Area [286].

Haikou City is a prefecture-level city and provincial capital under the jurisdiction of Hainan Province. It is located in the northern part of Hainan Island and is a southern coastal city rich in tropical coastal natural scenery. Haikou is a national historical and cultural city and an international comprehensive transportation hub city.