The accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers and China Development Research Foundation have collaborated since 2014 in selecting cities in China as samples for further comprehensive comparison and study. For the fifth year in a row, the two entities have published the Chinese Cities of Opportunity.

The 2018 edition features two areas of comparison – one among Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen and the other among the 26 remaining cities.

These cities are Harbin, Shenyang, Dalian, Urumqi, Lanzhou, Xi'an, Taiyuan, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Jinan, Qingdao, Zhengzhou, Nanjing, Wuhan, Wuxi, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Changsha, Zhuhai, Chengdu, Chongqing, Kunming and Guiyang.

The indicators for comparison are intellectual capital and innovation, technology readiness, important regional cities, healthcare, safety and security, transportation and urban planning, sustainability and the natural environment, culture and lifestyle, economic clout, and cost and ease of doing business.

The observation results for Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen have Beijing at the top of the list, followed by Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou.

Let's take a look at the top 10 outperformers among the remaining 26 cities.

No 10 Zhengzhou