THE ASIAN CONFERENCE ON POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT IN MEDIUM-SIZED CITIES

CHINA'S MEDIUM-SIZED CITIES
IN THE URBAN HIERARCHY AND IN
THE NATIONAL POLITICAL-ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE

Xie Wenhui

I. DEFINITIONS: THE MEANING OF MEDIUM-SIZED CITIES IN CHINA

The statistical categories of urban populations in China are not exactly the same as those used in many other Asian countries. Thus in order to facilitate comparison this paper begins with a discussion of definitions and size categories used for examining urban populations in China.

By definition, the urban population in China consists of three parts of a city's permanent population. 1. The non-farm population in the city proper, which is supplied with grain by the government; 2. The farm population in the suburbs; and 3. The population of countries in rural areas under the jurisdiction of the city. These three components of the urban population, provide three different statistical ranges and consequently three special terms with different meanings for the urban population.

(1) The total population of the entire city, which refers to the total population within all of the areas under the administrative jurisdiction of City. This includes the nonagricultural population in the central city, the agricultural population in suburbs and rural areas under the jurisdiction of city.

(2) The population of the central city, which refers to the sum of non-agricultural population in the central cities and the agricultural population in suburbs.

(3) The non-agricultural population in the central city which refers to the population in the city proper that is supplied with grain by the government.

Research on China's urban population must always indicate what definition is being used, since the different definitions can produce results that differ substantially. This can be seen in Table 1, which compares the size of six cities using the three different definitions.

The proportion of the non-agricultural population of Shanghai is relatively high, accounting for 57 percent of the total population of whole city, but that of Yantai City in Shandong Province is quite low, only 4 percent. Thus for Shanghai the more inclusive definition produces a city size only twice that of the most restricted definition. For Yantai the former is more than 25 times as large as the latter. Similar highly varying results from using different definitions can be seen for other cities as well.

The reason for these large differences, of course, comes from changes or differences in the administrative boundaries of cities. Important reforms since the early 1980s have redefined the legal boundaries of many cities to include outlying areas. Counties surrounding a city have been incorporated into the city itself in order to expand the extent of administrative jurisdiction of cities. This reform was intended to give a full play to the superiority of cities in promoting rural industrialization and urbanization simultaneously.

Refer to Table 1

Due to the implementation of this reform, the extent of administrative jurisdiction of cities has been expanded a great deal and hence the total population of the whole city has often increased considerably. Taking Chengdu as an example, in 1981 before the reform, the total population of the whole city was 3.957 million. After the reform was implemented in 1983, the population increased to 8.54 million as 12 counties were incorporated into the city. Another example is Yantai City in Shandong Province, where 12 counties also came under its jurisdiction after the implementation of reform, raising the total population of the city to 8.148 million. It seems like a metropolis in column 1 of Table 1, but in fact, the non-farm, or actual "urban" population of the city proper, is only 327,000. Therefore, when research is done on the medium-sized cities in China, the "total population" of the whole city does not provide a useful number on which to classify cities by size.

In the author's opinion, it is also not appropriate to use the non-farm population of the city proper as a standard for classifying cities by size, because many urban activities, such as township industries have been developed in the suburbs and rural areas of all cities during recent years, and a great amount of the rural labour force is no longer engaged in agriculture, but is found in secondary or tertiary industries. Those people have left their land but still live in their rural homes. Therefore, it is also not appropriate to identify all the population in suburbs and rural areas with the agricultural population.

In addition, with the implementation of the policy of opening to the outside world and invigorating the domestic economy, the urban transient population has increased rapidly. Due to the development of a commodity economy and an opening of the market, government provision of grain to urban residents is no longer a sufficient means to control the mechanical growth of the urban population. Actually, a considerable amount of the "transient" population has become the permanent population of cities. The transient population in the medium-sized cities accounts for about 15% while in the metropolises such as Beijing and Shanghai it is always more than a million.

In the light of above analysis, it is the author's opinion that the statistical figure of urban population obtained by using the total population of whole city as the statistical range will be greatly inflated, and the figures obtained by using the non-farm population in city proper will understate real city size. The figures obtained by using the population of city proper as the statistical range will be a better indication of real urbanity. Therefore when the population size is discussed in this paper, the population of the city proper will be used.

Thus, Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu in Table 1, where the population of the city proper is more than 2 million, should be classified metropolises. By the end of 1985, there were 11 such cities in China: i.e. Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Shenyang, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Harban, Chongqing, Nanjing, Xian and Chengdu. Kunming and Fuzhou in Table 1, where the population of city proper is 1-2 million, should be classified as medium-sized cities, By the end of 1985, there are 25 such cities in China totally, i.e. Changchun, Taiyuan, Dalian, Jinan, Qingdao, Anshan, Fushun, Kunming, Lanzhou, Hangzhou, Zhengzhou, Qiqihar, Changsha, Tangshan, Wurumuqi, Shijiazhuang, Nanchang, Jilin, Baotou, Guiyang, Zibo, Fuzhou, Datong, Luoyang, Huainan and Ningbo. The above mentioned metropolises and medium-sized cities are not only important bases for developing the national economy and organizing the social life in China. They are also the political, economic, cultural and educational centres both for the whole country and for every region. Thus they have a very important position in the urban hierarchy and national administrative structure.

II. POSITION OF THE MEDIUM-SIZED CITIES IN CHINA'S URBAN HIERARCHY

An urban hierarchy is an integrity in which a number of cities with different sizes and functions in a certain range of regions are rationally ordered, organically connected and co-ordinately developed.

Classification of the size grades in China's urban hierarchy

The classification of the size grades of the urban hierarchy in China is not the same as that used in other Asian countries. At present, it is divided into four grades according to the population size:

1. Regional urban hierarchy at the national level

For this grade, the central cities, for the most part, have a population of more than 2 million. They are multi-functional and comprehensive, and are the centres of the large economic zones at the national level. In this grade, there are 10 central cities, i.e. Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang, Harbin, Wuhan, Guangzhou. Chongqing, Xian and Lanzhou.

2. Urban hierarchy at the provincial level

The central cities of this grade generally have a population of 1-2 million and are the major "medium-sized" cities which are discussed in this article. Most of them are the capitals of provinces and autonomous regions. The list includes Changchun, Jilin, Shijiaz-huang, Taiyuan, Wulumuqi, Jinan, Nanjing. Hangzhou, Fuzhou, Changsha, Nanchang, Guiyang, Kunming, etc.

3. Urban hierarchy at the prefectural level

The central cities of this grade have a population of 200,000 to 1 million, or even more than 1 million in some cases. They are the political, economic, cultural and educational centres of the prefectures.

4. Urban hierarchy at the county level

For this level, the central cities have a population of less than 200,000 and are the political economic, cultural and educational centres of each county.

Categories of the urban hierarchy in China

The types of the urban hierarchy in China are various, but mainly there are three categories:

1. Comprehensive urban hierarchy

It is a dense urban region, formed with one or several central cities as the nucleus, having convenient transportation, highly developed industries, flourishing commerce and strong economic attraction and radiation. For example, in the dense urban region of the middle part of Liaoning Province, there are three cities with a population more than 1 million, i.e. Shenyang, Anshan and Fushun, one city with a population more than 800,000, i.e. Benxi, and many medium and small-sized cities as well. Another example is the dense urban region in the Huabei Plain, which has a total urban population of up to 16 millions, including three large cities- Beijing, Tianjin and Tangshan as the nucleus and many medium and small-sized cities surrounding them. An additional example is the dense urban strip ranging from Shanghai to Nanjing. The direct distance between the two metropolises is only 280 km, but along the strip there are three cities with a population more than 500,000, i.e. Wuxi, Suzhou, and Changchun, and more than 10 cities with a population of less than 500,000. This region is not only the most dense in urban population but it is also the most urbanized region in China.

2. Mining industry urban hierarchy

This has grown up mainly on the basis of the mining industry, without multi-functional metropolises as the nucleus, but with many mono-functional, medium and small-sized cities in a dispersed distribution. The examples are Zibo City in Shandong Province and Huainan City in Anhui Province, both of which are important coal-mining production bases.

3. Port urban hierarchy

This is formed by the port city as the nucleus integrated with a large area of hinterland, such as the port urban hierarchy in Liaodong Peninsula with Dalian as the nucleus, that in Shandong Peninsula with Qingdao as the nucleus, and that in the south part of Fujian Province with Xiamen as its nucleus.

The distribution of the urban hierarchy in China

Urban hierarchies in China are not balanced in regional distribution, due to natural, geographical and historical conditions. The Eastern coastal area (including Heilongjiang Province, Jilin Province, Liaoning Province, Hebei Province, Shandong Province, Jiangsu Province, Zhejiang Province, Fujian Province, Guangdong Province, Guangxi Zhuangzu Autonomous Region and metropolises such as Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai) is an area that is both dense in city distribution and in urban population. Its land area makes up 13 percent of the total area of the country, but it contains 94 large, medium and small-sized cities, making up 29 percent of the 324 cities of the whole country. Its "city density" reaches 0.79 cities per 10,000 km² on the average, being 2.3 times as great as the 0.34 cities per 10,000 km² which is the average for the whole country. Moreover, in the eastern area not only is the city density high, but also there are 23 cities with a population more than 600,000, accounting for 44 per cent of the total number of cities of this size in the whole country.

The next is the Central area which includes the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Shanxi Province, Henan Province, Anhui Province, Hubei Province, Hunan Province, Jiangxi Province, Sichuan Province, Guizhou Province and Yunnan Province. Its land area makes up 32 per cent of the total area of the country and contains 152 cities. The city density is thus 0.36 cities per 10,000 km², less than half that of the eastern area. In this area, there are 21 cities with a population of more than 500,000 and 131 cities with a population less than 500,000, accounting for 41 percent and 48 percent, respectively of the total number of the cities of these sizes in the whole country.

Refer to Table 2

The Western area which includes Shanxi Province, Gansu Province, Ningxia Huizu Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province, Xinjiang Weiwuerzu Autonomous Region, and Tibet Autonomous Region is very sparse in city distribution and urban population. Its land area makes up 55 percent of total area of the country, but it contains only 78 cities, or 24 percent of total number of the cities of the country. The number of large and medium-sized cities makes up only 15 percent and 16 percent of the total number of the same size cities in the country respectively. Most of the cities are small ones, accounting for 55 per cent of the total number of this size cities of the whole country. For a detailed reference to the above analysis see Table 2.

III. THE ROLE PLAYED BY MEDIUM-SIZED CITIES IN DEVELOPING THE NATIONAL ECONOMY OF CHINA

The main economic index of the medium-sized cities

In China the larger the city is, the better the economic benefit will be. For details, see Table 3, which implies the following interpretation.

1. Considering the economic benefits for urban population calculated either on a per capita or per employee basis, it can be seen that the industrial production value and profits and taxes handed into the state increase with the size of the cities. Take the industrial production value per capita as an example. Although the value in the medium-sized cities (population 1 to 2 million) is 19 percent lower than that of the large cities with a population of more than 2 million, it  is still 8 per cent higher than the average industrial value for all the cities of the country, 15 percent and 58 percent higher than that of the cities with a population 500,000 to 1 million and the cities with a population less than 200,000, respectively. This means the larger the city is, the higher the labour productivity will be. The economic benefits of the medium-sized cities are clear.

2. The economic benefits of investment or the economic benefits of the fixed assets also increase with the size of cities. For example, though the profits and taxes handed in per 100 yuan investment for the medium-sized cities is 10 percent lower than that of the large cities, it is still 21 percent higher than the average value of all the cities in China, 24 percent and 47 percent higher than that of the cities of the next two size categories and, 110 percent higher than that of the smallest category. This means the investment benefits of the medium-sized cities are excellent, the profits are higher.

3. The economic benefits of land for urban construction also increase with the city size. For example, the industrial production value per km² of urban land for the medium- sized cities is 30 percent lower than that of the large cities, but it is nine times as high as the average for all cities, and respectively 4.6,7.5 and 52.5 times, higher than that for cities of the three lower categories. It is clear that the high concentration of population, funds, and equipment in the large and medium-sized cities, greatly increase the land value in the urban areas. However, it also reflects the crowding in the large and medium-sized cities. On the other hand the lower densities of smaller cities reflect some waste of the land.

4. In summary, all the indications in Table 3 show the positive effect of city size. All indices rise with the size of the city. It can also be seen, however, that although the medium-sized cities (1-2 million) show less value than the largest, their values are always greater than the national average. For all but two indices (numbers 3 and 8) the medium-sized cities are the lower cut-off point. Cities of smaller categories have values less than the national average. This indicates the substantial economic advantages of the medium-sized cities.

The superiority of the medium-sized cities in organizing economic activities and developing production

The medium-sized cities in China have a better industrial and commercial foundation and more developed transportation. Most of them are also scientific, technical, cultural, and educational centres. Therefore, they provide advantages for organizing socialized large-scale industrial production and commodity exchange. For example, it is convenient to make adjustments on the industrial structure and product structure from time to time according to the construction plan of the state and the requirement of the markets. In addition, medium-sized cities permit further advance on the specialized production and horizontal economic ties between enterprises, so as to make rational utilization of the natural resources, reduce energy consumption and cost. They can also help to develop the international and domestic commodity markets and financial markets, and turn the medium-sized cities into commodity distribution centres and financial centres to expand cultural and educational causes and technical exchanges, promoting the development and application of the science and technology and the training of personnel. Finally they can be centres for undertaking the comprehensive development of land use for urban construction and infrastructures, providing more complete facilities for power-supply, water-supply, heat-supply, traffic, post and telecommunications, creating a favourable environment for investment.

Statistical measures of the commercial departments in 1985 showed that the medium-sized cities have a considerable advantage, showing both higher profits and lower costs for commodity circulation. For example, the profit and circulation cost for selling 100 yuan goods for the city with a population of 1 to 2 million are 2.7 yuan and 6 yuan, respectively, while for cities with a population between 200,000 to 1 million are 2.1 yuan and 6.4 \ 6.7 yuan, respectively.

Refer to Table 3

The tertiary industry of the medium-sized cities is flourishing, with higher levels of socialized service. For example, the number of employees of retail dealers and the number of employees in service trades per 10,000 residents for the cities with a population 1 to 2 million are 470 and 131, respectively, but for the cities with a population 200,000 to 500,000 the numbers are only 270 and 56, respectively. In addition, the number of doctors per 100,000 residents for the medium-sized cities is 49 while that for the small cities is only 22. All these data have shown that the medium-sized cities can provide better living conditions for the urban residents.

With the rapid development of the commodity economy and the deepening of the urban economic structure reform, a lively discussion on the development and control over the medium-sized cities has been continuing within the urban economic theory circles and the urban planning and construction management departments during recent years in China. They are useful and constructive discussions, opinions differ and there is as yet no definite answer on how to plan rationally for their development.

It is the author's opinion that such planning should be based on local conditions, rather than on a unified "model" for the country as a whole. In the eastern coastal area, where there are many cities with a population more than 1 million and a strong agricultural foundation, the town and township-owned industries should be fostered, so as to turn the newly established small towns and townships into "reservoirs" for the surplus labour force in the countryside. This would prevent a massive movement of the labour force in to large cities. In the central area, where the medium and small cities are in the majority and there are few large cities with strong economic activities, a number of large cities should be developed to stimulate the economic growth of the surrounding areas. In the western area, poor natural resources, a weak agricultural foundation, and inconvenient transportation, have retarded the development of a large number of even small cities. In this region stress should be laid on bringing the potentialities of the existing cities into full play. It is most necessary to develop a certain number of medium-sized cities by utilizing the superiority of abundant resources.

In summary, the medium-sized cities in China have played an important role in the nation-wide urban hierarchy and are the political, economic, cultural and educational centres in the administrative management structure of the state. They will have a great development by the year of 2000, and will play an even greater role in the socialist modernization of China.

Refer to  Figure 1  (Distribution of China's Cities)