01 选文来源 ![]()
The Economist-20241214期「The World Ahead」China in 2025: Which are China's cities of the future?
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02 全文梳理 ![]()
【para1】四城辉煌👉中国的一线城市因其巨大的资源优势和基础设施，长期吸引着年轻人和投资者。
【para2】一线失色👉一线城市因房价高昂、生活质量变差和消费缩减而逐渐失去吸引力。
【para3】二三崛起👉二三线城市以其优越的基础设施、相对便宜的住房和更轻松的工作节奏正在崛起。
【para4-6】2025小城展望
-para4 消费活力👉小城市因较低的生活成本而释放消费潜力，吸引众多企业布局。
-para5 人才回流👉白领厌倦一线城市生活，更多大学生转向长沙、南京等文化活跃的城市发展。
-para6 科创进步👉年轻人才推动小城市技术发展，例如合肥的科技产业崛起。
03 原文阅读 ![]()
450words
China in 2025: Which are China's cities of the future?
Those on the second and third tiers are thriving
[1] Until very recently, China's young people, investors, consumers and creators flocked to just four cities: Beijing, the capital; Shanghai, a financial hub; Shenzhen, a tech centre; and Guangzhou, an export powerhouse. With giant populations, superior public services and gleaming infrastructure, these were dubbed "first-tier" cities by the government. But in 2025 China's smaller cities will start to steal their thunder.
[2] First-tier cities are losing their lustre. They have become unaffordable for most Chinese: median house prices are typically 30-40 times higher than median incomes. They also have a poor quality of life, with many companies demanding a "996" work schedule (9am-9pm, six days a week). Underpaid and overworked, their residents are spending less amid economic slump.
[3] Many second- or third-tier cities, meanwhile, are on the up. Their infrastructure is top-notch, housing is relatively cheap and the pace of work is more relaxed. Their economic growth often outpaces the national average. And by Western standards, they are still giants: many have populations of over 10m, and are still growing rapidly.[4] In 2025 it will be consumers in smaller cities who will keep businesses afloat. With lower living costs, they can afford to splash out. Little wonder that coffee shops and electric-car dealers are springing up on smaller cities' streets. Yum China, which operates KFC, a fast-food chain, plans to add several thousand new outlets by 2026, more than half of them in smaller cities.[5] In the coming year smaller cities will attract more young people. Surveys suggest that white-collar workers are increasingly sick of the tier-one grind. In the summer 12m students will graduate from China's universities. Many will look for jobs, not in Beijing and Shanghai, but in cities like Changsha and Nanjing—provincial capitals with vibrant cultural industries. Both are attracting lots of livestreamers, musicians and artists.[6] Talented young people will help China's smaller cities make technological progress, too. Take Hefei, a former backwater in eastern China's Anhui province. Thanks to government investment and private enterprise, it now has a thriving tech sector, with industries like high-end manufacturing, biotech and semiconductors. In the coming year officials will focus on developing its "low-altitude economy", China's preferred term for delivery drones and flying taxis. ■
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