BRIEF INTRODUCTION

Data in this chapter show the social and economic development as well as the scale, growth rate, economic efficiency, overall level and other basic conditions of China’s cities. The main content is composed of the following four parts:

(1) The distribution of the cities in China;

(2) The main indicators on the social and economic development of the open coastal cities and the cities in special economic zones.

(3) The main indicators on the social and economic development of the provincial capitals and the important cities separately listed in the national plan;

(4) The indicators on the urban residential buildings and public facilities.

The data of the first three parts are prepared and provided by the statistical bureaus of the provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government in accordance with the statistical reporting scheme on the basic social and economical situations of the cities and counties, which is stipulated by the NBS.

Data on the areas, buildings and public facilities of the cities in the General Survey of Cities are provided by the Ministry of Construction. The data are collected through two channels:

(1) The data from statistical surveys on units under the system of the Ministry of Construction are collected in accordance with the Statistical Reporting System of Urban Construction, which covers the enterprises and institutions in the system of urban construction.

(2) The data from statistical surveys on units outside the system of construction are collected in accordance with the Statistical Reporting System on Urban Public Facilities Outside the System of Ministry of Construction, which was jointly stipulated and issued by the Ministry of Construction and the National Bureau of Statistics in 1991. The statistical coverage includes the urban public facilities run and managed by the enterprises and institutions outside the system of urban construction.