Group 1 - The core viewpoint of the article emphasizes that traditional economic indicators like GDP, housing prices, and tax revenue are no longer the key metrics for evaluating cities. Instead, factors such as consumer spending power, brand preference, commercial infrastructure maturity, hub city status, and talent attraction are more significant [2][3][12] - The 2025 New First-Tier City Charm Rankings published by Yicai evaluates 337 cities based on five categories: commercial resource aggregation, city hub status, urban activity, new economic competitiveness, and future potential [3][12] - The top 15 new first-tier cities include Chengdu, Hangzhou, Chongqing, Wuhan, Suzhou, Xi'an, Nanjing, Changsha, Zhengzhou, Tianjin, Hefei, Qingdao, Dongguan, Ningbo, and Foshan, with notable movements in rankings [3][12][30] Group 2 - The article discusses the significance of various indicators used in the rankings, such as commercial resource aggregation, which reflects a city's commercial vibrancy, and city hub status, which measures a city's connectivity and collaborative potential [8][9][10][11] - Chengdu has shown remarkable performance in urban activity, ranking just behind Shanghai and Beijing, with a notable night economy where nighttime consumption accounts for 54.6% of total spending [26][29] - Hefei has achieved a significant rise in rankings due to its rapid GDP growth and strong performance in new economic competitiveness, with a GDP of 13,507.7 billion yuan in 2024, reflecting a 6.1% year-on-year increase [40][46] Group 3 - Foshan has made a comeback in the rankings, attributed to its advancements in smart manufacturing and tourism, with a tourism revenue growth of 21.4% in 2024 [30][37] - Wuxi has dropped out of the new first-tier city rankings, facing challenges in commercial resource aggregation and urban activity, which are critical for its competitiveness [30][39] - The article highlights the upward trends of cities like Wuhan and Zhengzhou, with Wuhan reclaiming its position as the fourth new first-tier city and Zhengzhou achieving a record high in air cargo volume [53][56]

Core Insights - The article discusses the emergence of lesser-known cities in China that are rapidly rising in the 2025 "New First-tier City Charm Rankings," highlighting cities like Linyi, Jining, and Heze as significant players in this trend [1][4]. Group 1: City Rankings and Economic Growth - Linyi's ranking improved from 67th to 43rd, Jining from 73rd to 56th, and Heze from 126th to 70th over the past decade, indicating substantial upward mobility [4]. - Economic growth figures show Linyi's GDP increased from 430.5 billion in 2016 to 655.6 billion in 2024, Jining from 462 billion to 586.7 billion, and Heze from 255 billion to 480.3 billion [4]. Group 2: Key Factors for Growth - The cities' significant progress is attributed to enhanced "city hub characteristics," which are measured by transportation connectivity, intercity mobility, industrial collaboration, and commercial resource centrality [5]. - The rankings are based on five primary indicators: commercial resource aggregation, city hub characteristics, urban activity, new economic competitiveness, and future plasticity [3]. Group 3: Infrastructure Development - Heze's infrastructure investment during the 13th Five-Year Plan reached 59 billion, 2.36 times that of the previous plan, with a projected 148.93 billion investment for the 14th Five-Year Plan [8]. - The opening of the Daylan High-Speed Railway in December 2021 connected Heze to the national high-speed rail network, enhancing its transportation capabilities [9]. Group 4: Industry and Economic Diversification - Linyi has developed a robust logistics and commercial system, becoming a major logistics hub in northern China, with 125 professional wholesale markets and a significant number of businesses [10][13]. - Jining has leveraged its geographical advantages to enhance its new economic competitiveness, with a notable increase in cargo throughput and container handling at its port [16].

Core Insights - The 2025 "New First-Tier Cities Charm Ranking" highlights the increasing differentiation among cities in China as they transition to a consumption-driven society, with cities like Linyi and Heze showing significant improvements in their rankings [1][9] - The ranking methodology emphasizes commercial consumption over traditional economic indicators like GDP, reflecting a shift in urban competitiveness [3][4] Group 1: Ranking Overview - Linyi has returned to the second-tier city status, ranking closely behind Yantai, and has jumped 8 places from the previous year, while Heze has surged 20 places [1] - The ranking includes 15 new first-tier cities and 30 second-tier cities, with Linyi and Heze being notable examples of cities that have improved their standings significantly [2] Group 2: Evaluation Criteria - The ranking system prioritizes third-sector activities, particularly commercial consumption, over industrial output, indicating a shift towards a more service-oriented urban economy [3][4] - New metrics introduced in the ranking include factors such as the scale of live-streaming influencers, online business diversity, and nighttime economic activity, reflecting the evolving nature of urban attractiveness [4][5] Group 3: Economic Indicators - Linyi's retail sales reached 343.38 billion yuan in 2024, ranking fourth in Shandong, while its economic output is significantly lower than Yantai's, indicating untapped consumption potential [6][7] - The city has a third-sector contribution of 51.2% to its GDP, which is comparable to other industrial cities, suggesting a balanced economic structure [7][8] Group 4: Urban Development Trends - The ranking reflects a broader trend where cities with strong service sectors and vibrant consumer markets are becoming more attractive, especially to younger populations [5][8] - Linyi's logistics and transportation infrastructure has facilitated economic dynamism, with a notable increase in online retail sales driven by live-streaming commerce [8][9] Group 5: Consumption as an Economic Driver - Consumption is increasingly recognized as a primary engine for economic growth in China, with consumer spending contributing 82.5% to GDP growth in 2023 [8][9] - The shift towards a consumption-oriented economy is evident as cities adapt to new consumer preferences and market dynamics, with Linyi's rise serving as a case study [9]

Core Viewpoint - The "2025 New First-Tier City Charm Ranking" has been released, highlighting Huizhou's elevation to a second-tier city status among 337 cities in mainland China [1] Group 1: Ranking and Evaluation - The ranking evaluates cities based on five primary dimensions: commercial resource aggregation, urban hub characteristics, urban vitality, new economic competitiveness, and future plasticity [4] - The evaluation methodology includes expert scoring for primary and secondary dimensions, with data for lower-level indicators derived from principal component analysis [4] Group 2: Indicator Explanation - Commercial resource aggregation is assessed through brand preference index, commercial core index, and commercial support maturity [6] - Urban hub characteristics are measured by transportation connectivity, intercity mobility index, industrial collaboration index, and regional commercial resource centrality [6] - Urban vitality focuses on consumer, leisure, and nightlife activities of residents [6] - New economic competitiveness reflects the city's internal development momentum, consisting of enterprise leadership, new consumption index, and industrial chain ecosystem index [6] - Future plasticity includes innovation atmosphere index, talent attraction index, and city scale index, emphasizing long-term sustainability [6] Group 3: Economic Performance - In 2024, Huizhou's GDP reached 613.64 billion yuan, marking a 4.2% year-on-year growth, ranking third in the province [7] - This achievement signifies Huizhou's entry into the "600 billion club" and its historic placement among the top 50 cities in national economic output, ranking 49th [7] - The GDP milestone represents both a quantitative and qualitative transformation, showcasing Huizhou's commitment to a high-quality development path centered on the real economy and manufacturing [10] Group 4: Development Goals - Huizhou aims to become a new growth pole for high-quality development in Guangdong, focusing on new industries, embracing new economies, and advancing new technologies [11] - The city is determined to contribute significantly to Guangdong's leadership in the modernization of China [11]