Watch out Beijing, China’s second-tier cities are on the up

NEARLY 12m STUDENTS will graduate from Chinese universities this month. Where they go after that is increasingly difficult to predict. For decades graduates were drawn to the same four cities: Beijing, the capital; Shanghai, a financial hub; Shenzhen, a tech centre; and Guangzhou, an export powerhouse. There were opportunities in these places. Their economic heft exceeded that of other Chinese cities. Their public services were better, too. And they were huge, with populations that now range from 13m (Shenzhen) to 26m (Shanghai). As a result, they were dubbed “first-tier” cities. Chinese flocked to them.