Hangzhou West Lake: A poetic residence in paradise on earth

Guangzhou City (Guangzhou City, Canton [166]), referred to as "Sui", also known as Yangcheng, Huacheng, and Wuyangcheng, [162] is a prefecture-level city, provincial capital, sub-provincial city, national central city, megacity, [53] a world-class city under the jurisdiction of Guangdong Province. It is located in the south-central part of Guangdong Province and the northern edge of the Pearl River Delta [46] [81], with a total area of ​​7,434.40 square kilometers [1] [14]. The common languages ​​are Cantonese and Mandarin. [35] As of March 2025, Guangzhou City has 11 districts under its jurisdiction. As of the end of 2024, Guangzhou City has a permanent population of 18.978 million. [448] Guangzhou City has a significant marine climate, and both the ocean and the continent have a significant impact on Guangzhou's climate. [115] [116] Guangzhou City is a hilly area, with high terrain in the northeast and low terrain in the southwest. [34] As early as the Neolithic period six or seven thousand years ago, our ancestors lived and multiplied on this land. [82] The city of Guangzhou in the Qin Dynasty was named Renxiao City because it was built by the Qin general Renxiao. Its official name is Panyu City. [113] In the third year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1646), Zhu Yuanzhang's descendants proclaimed themselves emperors in Guangzhou, with the reign title "Shaowu". This was known as the "Southern Ming" regime, which lasted only 40 days. [113] On October 14, 1949, Guangzhou was liberated and became a centrally administered municipality. In 1950, it was changed to the leadership of the Central South Military and Political Committee. In 1954, it was transferred to the leadership of Guangdong Province and became a provincial-level city. In 1994, it was upgraded to a sub-provincial city. [226] Guangzhou is the core city of the Guangzhou Metropolitan Area. It is an important central city, international trade center and comprehensive transportation hub in China approved by the State Council. [80] It is an international trade center, a national advanced manufacturing base, a comprehensive portal, and an important carrier of the international science and technology innovation center. [76] [169] [413] Guangzhou's main industries are shipping services, science and technology services, special finance, international trade, professional services and other productive services. [125] Guangzhou is one of the first national historical and cultural cities, one of the starting points of the Maritime Silk Road, and is known as the "Millennium Commercial Capital". It has been a place where Chinese and foreign cultures have blended since ancient times, one of the birthplaces of Cantonese culture, and the headquarters of China's Southern Theater Command. [170-171] In 2024, Guangzhou's GDP will be 3,103.25 billion yuan, an increase of 2.1% over the previous year at comparable prices.

Wuxi City, referred to as "Xi", is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province. It is a Type I large city [139] and is located in the eastern part of China and the southern part of Jiangsu Province. It is adjacent to the Yangtze River in the north, Taihu Lake in the south, Suzhou City in the east, Changzhou City in the west, Huzhou City in Zhejiang Province and Xuancheng City in Anhui Province in the south and southwest. It is a city in the central area of ​​the Yangtze River Delta [6] and a member city of the Shanghai Metropolitan Area [140]. The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal passes through the city, with a total area of ​​4,627.46 square kilometers [122]. The territory is mainly plains, with scattered low mountains and residual hills. It belongs to the northern subtropical humid monsoon climate zone. As of the end of 2023, the city has jurisdiction over 5 districts and administers 2 county-level cities; the city's permanent population is 7.495 million. [51] [105] Wuxi City is an important birthplace of Jiangnan civilization and Wu culture. Legend has it that it was named Wuxi because the tin mines in Xishan were exhausted. There are written records of this in the late Shang Dynasty. In the fifth year of Emperor Gaozu of the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC), Wuxi County was established and belonged to Kuaiji County. In the second year of Taikang of the Western Jin Dynasty (281 AD), it belonged to Piling County. Since the 16th year of the Republic of China (1927), it has been directly under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province. After Wuxi County was liberated on April 23, 1949, it was divided into Wuxi City and Wuxi County. In 1953, Jiangsu Province was established and Wuxi City became a provincial-level city. On March 1, 1983, the city-county system was implemented and Jiangyin, Yixing and Wuxi counties were placed under the jurisdiction of Wuxi City. [135] Wuxi City is an important central city in the Yangtze River Delta region approved by the State Council, a national historical and cultural city, a national comprehensive transportation hub city, a national advanced manufacturing base, a regional highland of scientific and technological innovation and a cultural and creative base, and a scenic tourist destination with lakeside landscape characteristics. [82] Wuxi City is the main birthplace of modern Chinese national industry and commerce, township enterprises, and the "Southern Jiangsu Model". It has landmark industries such as the Internet of Things, integrated circuits, and biomedicine. Wuxi has a strong cultural atmosphere and is the birthplace of historical celebrities such as Qian Zhongshu, Qin Bangxian, Rong Yiren, Abing, and Xu Beihong. [136] In 2024, Wuxi's GDP will reach 1,626.329 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.8% at constant prices.

Harbin (Manchu: ᡥᠠᠯᠪᡳᠨ, Mulinde transliteration: Halbin), also known as Habu[5] or Hashi, is located in the northern part of China's Northeast Plain. It is the capital of Heilongjiang Province, the People's Republic of China,[6][7][8], a sub-provincial city, and an important regional center city in Northeast China.[7] Harbin is the political, economic, cultural and foreign-oriented center of northern Northeast China. It is also the largest city in China with the third largest registered population among provincial capitals.[9][8] The city's administrative area covers an area of ​​10,198 square kilometers.[10] The municipal government is located at No. 1 Century Avenue, Songbei District. It has 45 ethnic minorities and a variety of religious cultures. It is the only city in China where Buddhism, Taoism, Catholicism, Orthodoxy, Christianity, and Islam coexist. [11] Harbin is located in the southern part of Heilongjiang Province. It has a temperate continental monsoon climate with an average annual temperature of only 5.2℃. The winter is cold and long, and the summer is warm and short. It is a winter ice and snow tourism and summer resort. It is famous for its annual International Ice and Snow Festival and its strong European style. It is also one of the first batch of excellent tourist cities in China[12] and a famous historical and cultural city in China[13]. Due to its geographical location, Harbin was a bridgehead for Tsarist Russia and the Soviet Union to connect with China and the Far East in the first half of the 20th century. It is also an important international trade city in northern China and one of the earliest international cities in China in the 1920s[14]. Harbin's urban architectural style is still deeply influenced by it. Various European-style buildings brought by early Russian, Eastern European, Jewish and other immigrants are scattered throughout the city. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, it was gradually transformed into a central city with both industry and commerce. Today, Harbin still occupies an important position in international trade[15] and is the permanent rotating host city of the China-Russia Expo[16]. Harbin is known as the pearl of the Eurasian Continental Bridge and is an important hub of the First Eurasian Continental Bridge and the Sky Corridor[8]. According to the "Plan for Border Development and Opening-up in Northeastern Heilongjiang and Inner Mongolia" approved by the State Council in 2013[17], Harbin is the center of the border development and opening-up channel, a regional central city in Northeast Asia[18], and also the core city in the northern part of the Harbin-Changchun urban agglomeration. The 9th Asian Winter Games will be held in Harbin in 2025[19].

Suzhou City, a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Jiangsu Province, is a megacity [102]. It is located in the southeastern part of Jiangsu Province in East China. It borders Shanghai to the east, Zhejiang Province to the south, Taihu Lake to the west, and the Yangtze River to the north. It is a city in the central area of ​​the Yangtze River Delta [215]. It belongs to the Yangtze River Delta Plain and Taihu Lake Plain. It has a low terrain, numerous rivers and lakes. Most of the surface of Taihu Lake is within the territory of Suzhou City. It has a subtropical monsoon marine climate [2]. The total area is 8,657.32 square kilometers [2] [146]. At the end of 2023, Suzhou City has jurisdiction over 5 districts and administers 4 county-level cities [94] [115]. The Municipal People's Government is located at No. 998 Sanxiang Road, Gusu District [67]. At the end of 2024, the permanent population of Suzhou City is 12.987 million [234]. Suzhou is an important central city in eastern China approved by the State Council, a national historical and cultural city, a national comprehensive transportation hub, a national advanced manufacturing and high-tech industrial base, a regional highland of scientific and technological innovation, a comprehensive modern logistics center, and an international tourist destination with the characteristics of a Jiangnan water town. [1] Suzhou has a history of more than 4,000 years since the beginning of written records. During the Spring and Autumn Period, Shoumeng of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty established the Wu Kingdom. In the sixth year of King Jing of Zhou (514 BC), King Helu of Wu began to build Suzhou City. In the Qin Dynasty, Wu County was established. In the ninth year of Kaihuang of the Sui Dynasty (589), it was first called Suzhou. In the 17th year of the Republic of China (1928), Suzhou City was established. [125] Suzhou City is the only city along the Grand Canal that has applied for World Heritage status as an ancient city, and is a famous Jiangnan water town. Since Wu Zixu built the Helu City in the Spring and Autumn Period, Suzhou City has maintained a double chessboard pattern of "water and land running in parallel, rivers and streets adjacent to each other", with "small bridges and flowing water, white walls and black tiles, historical sites and famous gardens" as its unique style, and has the reputation of "paradise on earth". As the core carrier of "Jiangnan culture", Kunqu Opera, Pingtan, gardens and Suzhou embroidery nurtured by Suzhou have become distinctive symbols for the world to identify China. [97] [104] Suzhou City has four major industries: electronic information, equipment manufacturing, biomedicine, and advanced materials. [133] According to preliminary calculations, the GDP of Suzhou City in 2024 will be 2672.7 billion yuan, an increase of 6.0% over the previous year.

An autonomous region in northern China, famous for its vast grasslands, deserts and Mongolian culture.

Special administrative region in southern China known for its gaming industry and Portuguese colonial architecture.

One of the important birthplaces of ancient Chinese civilization, it has rich historical relics and coal resources.

A province in central China, it has famous attractions and cities such as the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River and Wuhan.