Top 10 Declining Chinese Cities

The following list of top 10 declining Chinese cities was compiled by a Chinese website, and later found its way into a Chinese newspaper in America.

1. Xi'an (西安) - Declining Index: 10

Located in Shaanxi province (陕西省), Xi'an (pictured) was an ancient capital for close to 800 years, but started to decline after the Sung dynasty. During the Nationalist period, it was regarded as an important northwestern region city, and in the early years of China's post-1949 independence, it was considered one of top 10 Chinese cities.

But now, Xi'an's GDP is not even within the top 40 in China, and has even been overtaken by Urumqi (乌鲁木齐) in Xinjiang (新疆). Xi'an had also fallen behind other major western cities such as Chongqing (重庆) and Chengdu (成都).

2. Nanjing (南京) - Declining Index: 9.8

Nanjing got its name (meaning "southern capital") only because it was thought to rival Beijing (北京, meaning "northern capital"). Indeed, Nanjing was China's capital during the Nationalist period.

But since the Nanjing Massacre, Nanjing is said to have lost all its internal strength. Its current GDP is overtaken by neighboring cities such as Suzhou (苏州) and Wuxi (无锡).

3. Harbin (哈尔滨) - Declining Index: 9.6

Located in Heilongjiang province (黑龙江省), Harbin rose to prominence only in the early 20th century. But it developed rapidly thereafter, particularly during the Nationalist period. With its predominantly Russian architecture, the city is also known as "Oriental Moscow."

But with the gradual decline of the northeastern region, Harbin's growth too had deteriorated.

4. Shantou (汕头) - Declining Index: 9.4

Shantou in Guangdong province (广东省) rose to temporary prominence after the Opium Wars. It is also the hometown of Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing (李嘉诚). Shantou was designated a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) when China began experimenting with the concept in the late 70s and early 80s.

But since then, Shantou had reportedly not emerged as an economic jewel. Its economic growth is nowhere close to nearby cities such as Dongguan (东莞) and Foshan (佛山).

5. Wuhan (武汉) - Declining Index: 9.2

Wuhan was one of the country's few commercial cities since the end of the Qing dynasty. It was so well-developed during the Nationalist period that at one time it was even known as "the Chicago of the East."

But since the 1990s, its economy had witnessed progressive deterioration, and its income levels are considered low by Chinese standards.

6. Haikou (海口) - Declining Index: 9.0

As an SEZ and the provincial capital of Hainan province (海南省), Haikou benefited from many preferential economic policies. Its height of prosperity was attained in the 1980s, where it even rivaled cities such as Guangdong (广东) and Shenzhen (深圳).

But it started declining in the late 90s, and has even been overtaken by other Hainanese cities such as Sanya (三亚).

7. Lianyungang (连云港) - Declining Index: 8.8

Located in Jiangsu province (江苏省), Lianyungang is one of 14 coastal cities opened during China's reform and opening up process in the 1980s.

But despite over 20 years of development, Lianyungang had reported tardy progress. Among the 14 coastal cities, it now has one of the lowest income levels.

8. Luoyang (洛阳) - Declining Index: 8.6

Located in Henan province (河南省), Luoyang is one of the world's few ancient metropolis, and was capital to many ancient Chinese dynasties.

In the early years of the country's post-1949 independence, some National People's Congress delegates suggested that Luoyang should be made Henan's provincial capital as this would allow the ancient capital to be "revitalized." But at that time, Zhengzhou (郑州) had grown to be one of the largest commercial cities in the region, hence Luoyang lost the "bid" to become Henan's provincial capital.

Today, Luoyang is a city filled with heavy industries. Even though its GDP is fairly respectable, it suffers from serious pollution.

9. Xuzhou (徐州) - Declining Index: 8.4

Located in Jiangsu province (江苏省), Xuzhou has historically been a city "coveted" by military strategists. Despite years of battles and military upheavals, the city had remained strong and united.

But today, its economic development had stagnated, and is mainly reliant on heavy-polluting industries. Some had argued that when provincial boundaries were drawn during the Qing dynasty, Xuzhou should not have been included as part of Jiangsu province. Xuzhou's culture is different from other parts of Jiangsu, and is often seen as a "stepchild" of Jiangsu.

10. Changchun (长春) - Declining Index: 8.2

Located in Jilin province (吉林), Changchun was once the capital of Japanese-dominated Manchuria. After China's post-1949 Independence, China's earliest automobile factories were located in Changchun, Shenyang (沈阳), Anshan (鞍山), and Daqing (大庆). The four cities were collectively regarded as the backbone of China's heavy industrial sector.

But since the 1980s, Changchun witnessed a quick decline. Its share of the automobile industry had been overtaken by later entrants such as Shanghai's (上海) Volkswagen, Tianjin's (天津)Toyota, and Guangzhou's (广州) Honda.