Core Insights - The 2025 New First-Tier City Charm Ranking was released by the New First-Tier City Research Institute under Yicai, highlighting the stability of the top four first-tier cities: Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou, while listing 15 new first-tier cities including Chengdu, Hangzhou, and Chongqing [1][2]. Group 1: City Rankings - Zhengzhou ranks ninth among new first-tier cities and thirteenth nationally based on the city charm index [1]. - The ranking evaluates cities based on five primary dimensions: commercial resource aggregation, city hub status, urban activity level, new economic competitiveness, and future plasticity [1]. Group 2: Historical Context - The concept of "new first-tier" cities was first introduced by Yicai Weekly in 2013, with the initial list including cities like Chengdu, Hangzhou, and Wuhan [2]. - Zhengzhou entered the ranking in 2017 at twelfth place, achieving its best position at seventh in 2022, and has shown a consistent upward trend, moving to eighth in 2025 [2]. Group 3: Economic Performance - Zhengzhou's economy showed positive growth in April, with industrial output increasing by 8.1% year-on-year, surpassing national and provincial averages [2]. - The city's retail sales reached 50.7 billion yuan in April, reflecting a 6.7% year-on-year growth, which is 1.6 percentage points higher than the national average [2]. - High-tech manufacturing in Zhengzhou saw an increase of 11.3% in output, with specific sectors like new energy vehicles and next-generation information technology growing by 12.4% and 13.9% respectively [2].