Job Discussion Forums

[hippocampus]

Looking for a university job in the Middle Kingdom, I keep hearing about first-tier and second-tier cities. Can someone please inform us just what cities are considered first, second or third (fourth? fifth?) tier and what the basis is for this standard? Thank you.

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

I am not sure how it is based. Perhaps population? This is just off the top of my head, others can correct me. In my neck of the woods (Liaoning), it is like this:

First-Tier:

Beijing, Shanghai (elite universities-- Peking, Fudan)

Second-Tier:

Shenyang, Dalian

Third-Tier:

Dandong, Jinzhou

Fourth-Tier:

Panjin, Benxi (technical colleges, training colleges)

[roadwalker]

I think it depends on who is measuring and for what purpose. In my mind, first-tier includes Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Second tier is much bigger and includes Shenzhen, Tianjin, Chongqing, Chengdu, Dalian, Shenyang, Xiamen, Hangzhou, Xi'an, (Wuhan?) and probably many I'm forgetting, that have money and resources, are destinations for Chinese workers and holiday-makers, and foreign investors/businesses and have an overall vibrancy. Third-tier would include all other large cities from the dregs to the nearly second-tier. It would probably rely heavily on my personal experience in/with that city. Fourth-tier is where your university will actually be located.

I don't think there is ONE official tier system. Many would probably replace Guangzhou with nearby Shenzhen, or have four first-tier cities.

[hippocampus]

[MisterButtkins]

My 2 cents:

First tier is Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Shanghai. Shenzhen is cleaner, more modern, and more expensive than either Beijing or Guangzhou. It might have more money total than Guangzhou as well. I don't see how you could include Guangzhou on the first tier and not Shenzhen.

Second tier is the more developed provincial capitals and some of the more developed cities on the coast, for example Xiamen is not a provincial capital nor is it large, but it has a good number of foreigners and is fairly developed.

Third tier, for me, would be smaller, less developed cities but still cities that people actually know about. This includes the crappier provincial capitals.

Fourth tier cities are places that even Chinese people from the same province have never heard of.

There's nothing below fourth tier. This is a classification system for cities, not just every place in general, so anything smaller than fourth tier doesn't get classified using this system.

[twilothunder]

There is no formal definition of what constitutes a 'first-tier' (or any of the others) city.
Source: http://www.cnbc.com/id/41420632/The_Rise_of_China_s_2nd_and_3rd_Tier_Cities

I would have to say I would agree that it would probably be BJ, SH, GZ and Shenzhen. Others seem to say it is BJ, SH, Tianjin and Chongqing as they are municipalities in their own right, separate from cities that belong under provincial control (eg Guangzhou, Wuhan etc).

[Miles Smiles]

[hippocampus]

As strange as it may seem, some people who haven't been to China or only spent a short time there years ago do not know Shenzhen. Thanks for the information.

[Non Sequitur]

I expect it is a hangover from the old central planning days and still indicates something of size and economic activity. For example it may have indicated the pay scale of city officials.
As others have indicated, the present day reality can be different, but not wildly so.
A small detail is that car number plates show 'A' 'B' etc from Tier One down.
I've worked in two second tier cities and in both the locally registered vehicles had plates with a 'B' prefix. The first character on the plate may be an indication of the province.
I'm not in-country currently so can't stick my head out of the window and check.

[roadwalker]

[Non Sequitur]

roadwalker is right. The Dalian/Lushun set up is case in point.
So, as has been oft noted here ask the question:
'Where will I actually be teaching?'
Also those little roadside businesses that set up at the campus gate close down over the summer and winter holidays.

[hippocampus]

I have heard of a job offer at a high school in the town of Ili, which is a few hundred klicks west of Urumqi. If the Google map is correct, roads to the place are mostly from Kazakhstan. What tier is Ili pray tell?

[Non Sequitur]

I thought Ili was a semi autonomous region (Kazakh) rather than a town.
1st 2nd 3rd tier doesn't indicate 'excellence' just its status as a province/region etc. A provincial capital in the West of China could be lacking in amenities seen in a smaller regional centre in the East.
But then that may be part of its charm.
Have a look at 'Wikipedia/Ili'

[GeminiTiger]

1st tier : Starbucks and METRO
2nd tier: Pizza hut / papa johns
3rd tier: Mc'donalds
4th tier: KFC
5th tier: DICOS

[slayer6719]