By Li Shantong, Research Department of Development Strategy and Regional Economy, Development Research Center of the State Council (DRC), and Li Huaxiang, School of Public Policy and Management of Tsinghua University

Report No 116, 2014 (Total 4615)

Summary:

The research in the report analyzes the layout and trend of various urban service industries in China, showing significant difference in service clustering or equalization. Producer services are characterized by large scale and clustering, with its clustering level being the highest and continuing to grow. Consumer services have a relatively low degree of clustering and are determined by the population layout. Public services are becoming more equalized.

China's urban service industries show a clear direction of clustering. Producer services agglomerate mainly in cities with high administrative level and large economic scale as well as coastal cities. The consumer services are influenced by the layout of individual consumers. Provincial capitals characterized by great leisure — such as Changsha, Hunan province; Chengdu, Sichuan province; and Wuhan, Hubei province — in addition to metropolitans including Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai, are the major cities with clusters of culture, sports and entertainment industries.