Guangzhou listed as first-tier world city

The Canton Tower provides panoramic views of Guangzhou Tianhe Central Business District. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Guangzhou ranks the 40th among global cities and has edged its way into the category of Alpha for the first time, according to the latest report from the Globalization and World Cities (GaWC) Research Network.

According the GaWC grading system, cities were divided into categories, ranging from "Alpha++", down through Beta and Gamma, before finally reaching "sufficiency level" (cities which don't quite qualify as global cities, but do at least have some influence).

"The first-tier cities should not only have a strong performance in economy, but have diverse cultures and a profound historic foundation," said Xue Desheng, dean of the School of Geography and Planning of Sun Yat-Sen University. "Guangzhou's opening up to the world does a great deal to help the growth in its ranking."

Led by a think-tank of the Geography Department at Loughborough University in the UK, GaWC first published the ranking in 1999, grading cities by their activities in different service sectors: accountancy, advertising, insurance, banking and law. Back then, Guangzhou was ranked 107th place among 120 selected cities.

Guangzhou has been experiencing steady and fast growth since 2008 and rose from Beta minus in 2008, to Beta in 2010, Beta plus in 2012, and succeeded to score a post in the first-level in 2016 with Alpha minus, among 361 cities.

The new central axis of Guangzhou is a marvel of beauty and prosperity, showcasing the advancement of the first-tier world city. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

To retain or improve its rating, Guangzhou strives to build into an overseas Chinese cultural center, building the world's largest museum for overseas Chinese and information center, so that Guangzhou city would be the first to come into expatriates' mind when it comes to overseas Chinese culture, Xue suggested.

Huang Huiming, chief planner of Guangzhou Urban Planning & Design Survey Research Institute, said that Guangzhou should step up efforts in various fields, including its role in global economy, international exchanges and transportation development.  

Guangzhou is home to the second largest number of college students in China. [Photo by Chen Youzi/Guangzhou Daily]